Anne's Chance at Love
by Youkai55
Summary: Anne Gora was un-lucky at love. Until the fateful day, she gets trapped with a mysterious stranger with a dark past. Will love bloom or will she continue to be alone? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

**The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.**

 **I thought of this story and it was too good not to write and post. I was going to be a One-Shot but there will be more as my time allows.**

 **Enjoy!**

Dark Kat had another plan to get rid of the SWAT Kats permanently. Everything was already in motion and was working flawlessly. The only thing that he needed to do is to lure them out and into his trap. Once they were trapped, the chemicals he had placed at the warehouse would take care of the rest. He yelled, "Fixer, I need your services."

Fixer, aka Joseph had just finished rigging up the last of the bombs he was contracted to build. He then heard Dark Kat's summoning. Fixer put down his tools and went to Dark Kat. He arrived a few minutes later and asked, "You summoned me?"

"Yes, I need you to set up a diversion for the Enforcers and manage to get the SWAT Kats into my trap," Dark Kat said."

"Do you agree to my fee?" Fixer asked.

"As long as everything works as planned, then yes. You will be paid handsomely," Dark Kat answered.

Fixer smirked and then said, "As you wish Dark Kat." He then left. He went back to his room, opened the door, entered, and closed the door behind him. As he changed into his working clothes, he said, "I'm getting too old for this. I want to have a family. I have more than enough money saved up so my family can live very comfortably and never have to work. Now I just need to find a woman who will accept me for who I am." He finished changing and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was still in good shape for a man of his age but his face revealed his true age of 42. Fixer put on his signature hat and left the lair.

Anne and Johnny received an anonymous tip that there was going to be a large drug bust at an abandoned warehouse in the center of mid-town MegaKat city. Anne had changed out of her skirt and blouse into a jump-suit so she didn't ruin her good clothes. She joined Johnny by the van and said, "I know what you are going to say and you can't change my mind. I'm going in there and I am going to get that story."

"Anne, I know I can't change your mind. Once that head of yours is set on something, nothing can change it. But Anne, this is going to be very dangerous. Let me go in there and handle this alone. I don't want to see you getting hurt," Johnny said as he coiled a cable up and put it in the van.

"Johnny, I appreciate that, I really do. However, I'm the reporter and my nose is telling me this is going to be a big story and I am going to tell it," Anne said.

"Alright Anne, just be careful. I care for you deeply," Johnny said.

Anne put her right hand on Johnny's cheek and said, "We have been down this road before. We can't date. As much as you want to, I won't mix business with pleasure."

Johnny sighed and said, "I know Anne, but you can't blame a guy for trying."

Anne kissed his cheek and then said, "You are a sweet man Johnny. You know, Kelly in operations is available."

"She is? Kelly is cute but she is not as beautiful as you. Please be careful," Johnny said.

"You know me Johnny," Anne said.

"That is what has me worried Anne. You are far from careful," Johnny said.

They both got into the van and drove off.

Fixer arrived at the warehouse after setting up the diversion that Dark Kat ordered him to. He had already rigged up several bombs to seal the SWAT Kats in once they entered and had the chemicals ready to release at his command. Now he just had to wait for his targets to arrive.

The SWAT Kats were already in the air and were headed towards the warehouse to assist with the drug bust. Razor had a bad feeling about this whole mission. He sensed something just was not right with how easily they heard about the raid. He said, "T-Bone, something does not feel right about this."

"What do you mean buddy?" T-Bone asked.

"Have we ever received a credible tip from the Enforcers before or ever?" Razor asked.

"No, I see what you mean. I'll tell you what we are going to do, we are going to the park to check out a bomb threat and let the Enforcers handle the warehouse on their own. We will monitor the situation and if needed, we will respond," T-Bone said as he changed the direction of the jet.

Anne and Johnny arrived outside the warehouse and parked the van far from sight. She got out of the van and said, "Wait here Johnny, I'll be back soon." She closed the door and walked towards the ware house.

Fixer sat in an old office chair and watched over the entire warehouse. He heard a window open and saw a very shapely form enter. He quickly grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked over at the window and the body that was entering. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw a very beautiful red-headed woman drop from the window. He then said, "What is she doing here? As much as I love beautiful women dropping into my life, she does not belong here." He left his post to get to her before she accidentally triggered one of his traps.

Anne dropped out of the window and landed hard on her feet. "That drop was farther than I thought. I have to be more careful, I'm not the cheerleader I used to be." She took out a small flashlight to help her see around the dark warehouse and started wandering around. As she walked, she said, "For a drug warehouse, this place is way too empty and quiet. Something is not right."

Fixer was getting closer to the intruder and saw her walking directly into one of his traps. He yelled, "Stop! Don't move another inch!"

Anne heard Fixer's yelling a hair too late; she walked right into a trip wire and triggered an explosion.

Fixer dove at her and knocked Anne out of the way of the falling ceiling. However, the ceiling fell around them trapping them both beneath the rubble. After the dust and debris settled, Fixer brushed the dirt from Anne's face and looked her over to make sure she was alright. He then looked at her face again and said, "Beautiful, what have I done to have such an angel to drop into my life."

Anne opened her eyes and saw a very handsome man peering down at her. She backed away and asked, "Who are you and why are you here? Are you one of the drug pushers that run this warehouse?"

Fixer laughed and answered, "No, I'm not a drug pusher. Frankly, those who deal with that stuff deserve every ounce of justice that gets handed to them. As for who I am, I'm just a lonely fixer who is in charge of this warehouse. Now, what is a gorgeous woman doing in this abandoned warehouse?"

Anne blushed as she heard Fixer call her gorgeous. She responded, "I'm Anne Gora, a reporter for Kats Eye news. As for why I am here, I received a tip that there was going to be a huge drug bust here and I was determined to get that story."

"Well Anne, you defiantly got a story. Although not the one you wanted," Fixer said. He looked around at the situation they were in and then said, "We are stuck in here but good. So what made you want to be a reporter instead of a beauty queen?" Fixer asked.

"My nose for news I guess. So why are you here; exactly if this warehouse is abandoned?" Anne asked.

"It is a very adorable nose you have Miss Anne and my employer pays me very well to take care of this place," Fixer said.

Anne pushed him away from her and asked, "Wait a minute, you were yelling at me to stop moving just before this place went up. Did you place booby traps in here?"

"Smart and beautiful, just the way I like my women. Yes, I placed the traps all over this place in order to trap the SWAT Kats. Although I never expected to have a beautiful woman stuck in one of my traps, much less myself," Fixer answered.

Anne stood up and got as far away from him as she could. She then asked, "Why did you want to trap the SWAT Kats?"

"My employer wants them out of the picture, permanently if you get my drift. He is paying me a large sum of money to make sure that they go away," Fixer said.

"You're a gangster and here I thought you were being a chivalrous gentleman? Boy was I wrong," Anne said as she turned her back to Fixer.

"Look Anne, I am a gentleman. There is not a lady out there whom I dated that can deny that. Sure my job has me do some things that are not, well thought of. But I always treat a lady with respect and no matter the pay; I never, ever touch a child. Those that do are lower than dirt in my opinion," Fixer said.

The air in the warehouse started to cool off and Anne shivered. Fixer noticed this and took off his coat. He slowly walked over to her and draped it over her shoulders. He then said, "Take my coat Anne. You need it more than I do."

Anne felt the left over body heat that was trapped in Fixer's coat warm her. She turned around and said, "This coat is big enough for both of us, please share it with me."

Fixer cocked an eyebrow at her and asked, "Are you sure you want me close to you? I might try to steal your heart and sell it on the Black Market."

Anne sat down on a crate and opened the coat so Fixer could also stay warm.

Fixer sighed and walked over to her and sat down. He put his left arm around her waist and used his right arm to close the coat over both of their bodies. He then took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of her perfume. It was the same one his wife used to wear. He said, "Anne, you remind me of my late wife."

"Late wife, what happened to her? If you don't mind me asking," Anne asked.

Fixer pulled her tighter so she stayed warm and then said, "I was not always a gangster. I was a physicist and a good one. Beverly and I were happily married for over eight years and were expecting our first child. I was going to be a father and I loved it. One day, I was at work and I received a phone call asking me to build a batch of highly efficient explosives for a certain demolition company. I knew the company was owned by a several un-scrupulous individuals, so I refused. The next day, I received a note stating that my refusal was un-acceptable and I had better reconsider. I threw the letter away and never thought of it again. Well, I should have called the cops or something and reported them. Two days later, Beverly was crossing the street and was killed by a car. The driver disappeared, never to be seen again. I was approached again after I buried Beverly and was told that her death was not an accident, but a result of my refusal. I have been on the wrong side of the law since."

"That is horrible! I'm sorry for your loss. I..I don't know your name." Anne said.

"It was Joseph, everyone now calls me the Fixer now because I fix situations," Fixer said.

"Can't you just go away and disappear? You are smarter than they are, surely you can figure out a way out if this life," Anne said.

"And go where? They are connected all over the world. I would be found and then killed," Fixer said.

Anne leaned into him more to get even warmer and said, "Anywhere. There has to be somewhere that they can't get to you?"

Fixer liked having Anne close to him. He smiled and said, "There might be, if I had someone to disappear with."

"What are you saying Joe?" Anne asked.

"I'm saying disappearing is very lonely. If Beverly was still alive, I would have disappeared with her. But she is not. Anne, I have told you things about my life that no one else knows and the reason is because I like you, a lot. If we get out of this, would you go out on a date with an older man?"

"Are you asking me out on a date Joe?" Anne asked.

"Anne, I am 42 years old and I am tired of being alone. I want to have someone to come home to, someone to hold tight, like we are doing now and someone to love again. I feel very comfortable around you Anne so yes, I am asking you out on a date," Fixer said.

"In that case, yes I will go out with you Joe on one condition," Anne said.

"And what would that be?" Joe asked.

"You think about going straight. I'm not dating a gangster," Anne answered.

"Dating? As in more than one?" Joe asked.

"Hmm, possibly. I need to see if you are up to my standards," Anne answered.

"What standards might those be?" Joe asked.

"I need to know if you are all talk and no action. You are a smooth talker Joe and a handsome one too. Can you back up your words? As I mentioned, I have high standards," Anne said.

Joe turned to her and looked into her eyes, leaned forward, and tried to kiss her.

Anne held a finger up to his lips and said, "Not yet Joe, we just met and I don't kiss on the first date. However, holding me tight is allowed.

Joe pulled back and smirked at her. He then said, "As my angel wishes." He pulled her into his body and Anne leaned her head on his shoulder.

Joe really liked having Anne in his arms and her head on his shoulder. Then he heard the firemen snicker at them as they held each other. He reached into his coat, pulled out a gun, and aimed it at the firemen without breaking the embrace.

They left the scene as fast as they could. However, they were replaced with several Enforcers with bigger guns. One of them said, "Joseph the fixer, you are under arrest. Please raise your hands above your head and don't move."

Joe stopped holding Anne and asked, "Which is it officer? Raise my hands or don't move?"

Anne could not help but to giggle at Joe's response.

The officer didn't find the humor in his question and handcuffed Joe. He was disarmed and taken out of the warehouse.

Another officer asked Anne, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine officer. What is going to happen to Joe?" Anne asked.

"He is going to see a judge and most likely going to jail," the officer said and led her out of the warehouse.

As she left the warehouse, she saw Joe being put into the back of a patrol car. She ran to him, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "I will find you and come visit."

"I hope so, my beauty. As long as I have you in my life, I am willing to try to go straight," Joe said.

"You would do that for me? Why?" Anne asked.

The door to the patrol car closed and then he replied through the open window, "As I mentioned, I'm tired of being alone. If having you as my girlfriend means I have to go straight, then that is what I will do." The patrol car then took off with Joe in the back seat watching Anne as he was taken away.

Anne was still wearing his coat and smelled him in it. She clutched it tighter to her body, refusing to let it go. She walked back to the van and Johnny and waited for the interrogation to start.

Johnny ran to her and asked, "I heard the explosion and called the Enforcers. I was so worried about you Anne. Are you alright and who's coat is it you are wearing?"

"I'm alright Johnny; a mysterious man rescued me when the warehouse collapsed around us. He kept me warm and safe until we were rescued." She then looked back at the open road that once had a patrol car containing the man she was now smitten with.

Johnny noticed that something was definitely bothering Anne. He asked, "Are you sure that you are alright?"

"I'm not sure anymore, can you please take me back to the studio so I can go home?" Anne replied and got into the van.

As Johnny heard the van's door close, his tail drooped to the ground and he said, "Sure Anne, I'll take you back.

Anne arrived back at her apartment an hour later, still clutching the coat to her body. She closed the door, went to her bedroom, stripped down to nothing, and climbed into bed with the coat. Anne then cried herself to sleep.

Joe was finished being processed downtown and was now waiting to be arraigned by a judge. He felt Anne's kiss on his cheek and made a very hard decision, one that was going to affect both of their lives forever. He was summoned to the courtroom and the awaiting judge. Joe stood at the defendant's table and waited for the judge to preside over the arraignment. He constantly thought of Anne while he waited. He asked himself, 'How can a woman that I just met occupy all my thoughts and why do I feel the need to be near her constantly?'

"All rise," the bailiff called out. He continued with, "The honorable Judge Williams presiding."

Judge Williams then walked into the courtroom, took his seat, and said, "Please be seated." He looked over the docket in front of him and then directly at Joe. He then asked, "What do I owe the pleasure of having you in my courtroom Mr. Fixer?"

"Your honor, my client.." the defense attorney started to say but was interrupted by the judge who said, "Your client has committed more crimes against the city than I can count. Tell me Mr. Fixer, why should I not put you in a cell where you will never be seen again?"

Joe starred directly at the judge and answered, "If you do that, you will never find out who I have been working for and exactly how to find them."

"What exactly are you saying?" the judge asked.

"Your honor, I am willing to give you the information you need to take down the city's most wanted bosses in exchange for a Witness Protection for me and my girlfriend," Joe responded.

"How do I know that the information you are going to give us is credible and reliable?" the judge asked.

"Because I am tired of constantly looking over my shoulder; waiting to be busted or killed by one of my associates. I want to settle down again and have the family that was taken from me years ago by my current employers. I'm tired of being on the wrong side of the law your honor and I want to correct that soon, "Joe answered.

The judge thought about what was being offered for a brief minute, turned to the prosecutor and asked, "Do you have any objections to offering protection to the witness and his girlfriend, if and only if the information he provides is correct?"

The prosecutor knew that even though Joe was a very big fish to get off of the streets, there were much bigger fish that he could help him take down. He replied, "No objections your honor as long as his information is credible."

"Will both members of council and the defendant adjourn to my chambers," the judge said and got out of his chair. He then left the courtroom.

The defense attorney leaned over to Joe and said, "I hope your information is as good as you say it is. Because if it's not, they are going to bury you." He then led Joe into the judge's chambers and closed the door.

The judge said, "I don't like this. I finally have the Fixer in my courtroom and I can throw the book at him for all the crap he has pulled over the years. But taking down the crime syndicate of this city is a higher priority than frying this guy." The judge turned to Joe and said, "You have one chance of getting yourself out of spending the rest of your life on Death Row. I want names and addresses of where I can find those cats."

"On one condition your honor," Joe said.

"What is it?" the judge asked.

"I can guarantee that someone saw me holding my girlfriend at the warehouse. I want her protected."

"You mean Anne Gora? That reporter with the hot tail and legs that go on forever?" the prosecutor asked.

Joe ran over to the prosecutor and slammed his fist in his face, knocking him down. He then spat," Don't you ever talk about her like that again or you will regret it!" He turned to the judge and said, "I told you someone saw us! I want her under wraps and completely safe or I will just clam up not and rot in jail. If I do that, you will never get your hands on my employers!"

"What is with you and this reporter? I have read your jacket. Since your wife and child were killed, you have never been seen in public with a woman. Now you are going on like she is your wife. Are you in love with her?" the judge asked.

"Yes. No. Argh, I don't know," Joe answered as he raised his hands to his face in frustration.

The prosecutor got off of the floor, checked his jaw to see if it was broken, and said, "I want this asshole locked up on assault charges!"

"Counselor! Shut-up! If you heard about him and Anne Gora, chances are one of his employers have also." The judge said. He turned to Joe and said, "I will get her protection and I am truly sorry for your wife. I heard Beverly was a lovely woman."

"She was your honor, and thanks for getting her that protection. On second thought, the deal is going to change. I'll give you everything that I know, right here and now and I walk away, get Anne, and we both disappear never to be seen in this city again," Joe said.

"No way! This man is a felon and he just wants to walk away from everything he has done? Not only will I be fired, but the entire justice system will become a laughing stock," the prosecutor yelled.

"Calm down counselor, he is not just going to walk away. I have a counter offer," the judge said.

"What would that be your honor?" Joe asked.

"You were once a physicist right?" the judge asked.

"Yes I was, so what of it?"

"The Enforcers needs someone in the crime lab that understands how explosives work on a chemical level. How about it Joe? You said you wanted to turn your life around, well here is a golden opportunity to do that."

"Are you off your rocker your honor?" the prosecutor asked and then quickly shut his mouth.

The judge shot the prosecutor a very angry look and said, "Congratulations counselor, you get to spend a night as a guest of the city. Have a good night in a cell. Now Joe, I want your answer."

"What about Anne? She will still be in danger if we stay in the city," Joe said.

"I'll arrange something for her protection. You have nothing to worry about when you are not with her. Your answer?" the judge said.

Joe thought about it while he paced around in the judge's office and then he thought of what Anne told him that she would only date him if he went straight and this judge was giving him the perfect opportunity to do so. He answered, "You have a deal. Give me some paper, a lot of it and some coffee. We are going to be here quite a while."

The next morning Anne woke up with Joe's coat still in her hands. She got out of bed, put the coat down, slipped into a robe, and went to get the morning paper from her door step. She opened the door and leaning against the wall was the man who rescued her. She asked, "How are you not in jail?"

"Nice to see you too Anne," Joe's eyes wandered up and down her body and definitely liked what he saw. He then said, "I made a deal with the judge, I now work for the city, sort of."

Anne cocked her hips and asked, "Sort of?"

"I work in the Enforcer's crime lab under the watchful eyes of the prosecutor for five years. Then I'm a free man. Although working in one of the most sophisticated labs in the city is quite appealing, especially if I get to date a very sassy reporter with an adorable nose for news."

Anne's face gave away her excitement for him. She reached out, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him to her. She then asked, "Are you asking me out again?"

"I believe I am," Joe said as he started moving his mouth closer to hers.

"As long as you are asking, yes I will go out with you," Anne said and then kissed him again on the cheek. She pulled Joe into her apartment and closed the door.


	2. Author's note

Hi,

I'm writing this note on a iPad so if this makes no sense, blame the auto correct.

For those who feel the relationship is rushed, I want you to picture youself in Joe's situation. He was so in love with his wife and soon to be born child that when they were taken from him, he shut down emotionally. He was 28 at the time. Twelve years is an awful long time not to have someone special. Now, the way I picture this relationship going, it does start off hot right out of the gate. There is an immediate attraction between the two of them on the physical and emotional level and it's is only going to get hotter as the story progresses. It will build slowly at first but will build logarithmically to the point of white hot!

As far as him going straight for her, it will be explained further in chapter two over breakfast but too explain where his head is, Joe had been wanting out for years but he needed that final push to make the decision to leave his life of crime and retake his place in society again. What better catalyst than a pretty woman who reminds him of his wife?

Anne has not been lucky at love. She has dated several men but none made her feel anything that told her heart that they might be the one. Joe might be a smooth talker however, something about the way he holds her and is kind enough to offer his coat to her when she was cold ignighted a small flame in her and wants to know this man better.

Enough banter from me. Wait until breakfast with answers for more detail and back stories.


	3. Chapter 3

Anne pulled Joe into her apartment and closed the door behind her. She turned around to face him and realized she must look horrible. She said, "I must look like a mess right now."

"No way, you look just as beautiful as you did yesterday," Joe replied.

"Glad you think so. If you don't mind, I'm going to take a quick shower and change. If you want, there is coffee made on the counter. The mugs are in the cabinet to the right of the sink. I'll be back shortly," Anne said and walked to her bedroom.

As the door closed, Joe made his way to the kitchen, grabbed a mug from the cabinet, and poured himself a cup of coffee. He leaned back against the counter and took a sip. As the liquid hit his lips, he turned around to the sink and spat out the vile stuff. He said, "That is what she considers coffee? This will not due at all." He went over to the refrigerator, opened it up, and noticed that it was almost bare. He sighed and then remembered that there was a store just down stairs. He figured that he would make breakfast for both of them while she showered and changed and had plenty of time to do so. Joe left the kitchen, grabbed Anne's keys from the table by the door, and left the apartment to get the supplies he needed from the store.

He arrived at the store a few minutes later, and perused the fresh fruit that was on display right in front of the store. He grabbed a basket and started picking out some of the freshest strawberries, bananas, and melons he could find. When finished, he went into the store, grabbed some eggs, bacon, juice, coffee, and some muffins. He then went to the front counter to pay for it all, put his items on the counter, and took out his wallet from his coat.

The shop's owner noticed a strange man wearing a grey pin-striped suit enter her store. In all of her years of owning and running the store, never had a man dressed like this entered her store. When he walked over to the counter and started placing his items on it to be tallied, she asked, "Will that be all?"

Joe replied as he finished putting his bounty on the counter, "I think so ma'am."

The shop's owner started to ring up Joe's purchases and asked, "So, do you cook for a living?"

"No, I'm going to make breakfast for a friend and her cabinets are empty. So I am doing a little shopping for her," Joe answered.

"Oh, a 'She' friend. With the way you are dressed, I am guessing that this friend is more than just a friend?" the owner asked.

"She might be. I have to admit, my friend is one classy lady, not to mention downright beautiful," Joe responded.

She finished ringing up his order and said, "That will be twenty five sixty, cash or charge?"

"Cash," Joe answered and pulled a Fifty dollar bill. He handed it to her and said, "I'm sorry, that is the smallest I have."

"No problem," she said. She quickly made change for him when Joe noticed a bouquet of lilies in the corner.

"Can you please add that bouquet of lilies to the order?" Joe asked and pointed to the bouquet.

The owner turned her head and saw the bouquet of flowers Joe was referring to. She stopped, went to get the flowers, and added them to his order. She then said, "That will bring your order to forty five dollars."

"Please keep the change ma'am," Joe said as he gathered up his order.

"Good luck with your 'she' friend," the owner said.

"Thank you," Joe replied "I'm going to need it," and left the shop.

He opened the door to Anne's apartment, closed the door, and went back to the kitchen. He took off his jacket and went to work. The first thing he did was to dump that stuff Anne called coffee down the drain, hoping that it didn't eat through the plumbing as it traveled down the drain. He quickly cleaned the pot and started a fresh pot of coffee right before he started slicing up some of the fruit. He plated the fresh fruit and put the plate in the center of the dining room table. Joe quickly went back to the kitchen and found a couple of pans in a lower cabinet. He placed the pans on the stove and lit the burners underneath them.

Anne finished her shower, shut the water off, and dried herself off. She dressed in a white fluffy robe and went into her bedroom. As she entered, her nose caught a whiff of very expensive coffee being brewed and the odor of bacon cooking. She said, "Joe is making breakfast for us? Well that is a surprise; I never had a man make breakfast for me before." She grabbed a pair of grey leggings and a blue sweatshirt from her dresser and pulled them on her body. She ran a brush through her hair. She then spritzed a little perfume on her wrists and left her bedroom to return to the kitchen.

She entered the living room and walked towards the kitchen and saw Joe at the stove, without his jacket on. She saw the muscles of his back and arms through the material of his tailored shirt. Anne entered the kitchen and said, "I can get used to having a man cook for me every day."

Joe tuned his head to her and said, "I will be more than happy to cook for you Anne. Take a seat at the table and let me serve you."

Anne sat down at the table and Joe left the stove to drape a napkin over her lap and push her in. He went back to the kitchen, grabbed a fresh mug from the cabinet, poured her a cup of coffee, and went to serve it to her. He placed the cup of steaming hot liquid in front of her and said, "This is one of my favorites. I hope you like it?"

Anne lifted the mug to her lips and took a sip. The coffee didn't taste burnt like when she made it. It actually tasted very similar to the coffee she had when she was in Venice. She put the mug down and asked, "How did you get the coffee to taste like this? Every time I make it, it turns out bitter and tastes burnt."

Joe had just flipped the bacon and put the spatula down. He took a sip of his coffee and replied, "It's a two-step process. One, you need to have the right beans and two the water has to be the correct temperature. Your coffee maker is good, but the water was set too hot for brewing good coffee. I found the thermostat and turned the temperature down. Now you should be able to get a decent cup of coffee out of that machine."

Anne took another sip and then said, "I had no idea. I'll have to remember that little tip."

"The bacon will be ready in about five minutes, how do you like your eggs?" Joe asked as he grabbed the carton of eggs out of the refrigerator.

Anne was just about to take a bite of a strawberry when Joe asked her about the eggs. She replied, "Surprise me." and took a bite of the strawberry. "Mmm, where did you find such fresh fruit at this time of year?" Anne asked and then finished the strawberry.

Joe cracked four eggs into a bowl, added a dash of pepper, and whisked the mixture together. As the mixture hit the pan, he answered, "That is easy, do you ever go to the store right down stairs?"

"Only to get the essentials, I normally food shop at one of those larger chain stores and as you could tell, I haven't gone in quite a while," Anne responded.

"The owner seems nice and everything came from her store. Including that," Joe said and pointed to the bouquet of lilies on the corner of the counter.

Anne saw the bouquet, got up, and went to the flowers. She smelled them and her tail swished back and forth on its own accord. She said, "Oh Joe, they are beautiful. How did you know they were my favorite?"

Joe flipped the eggs over and then turned to Anne. He saw her smelling the flowers and then noticed her tail's reaction. He was mesmerized as it swished back and forth at a very steady rhythm. He then noticed her backside in the tight material and gulped. Joe replied, "Beverly loved lilies, so I took a risk that you would like them too." He then plated the eggs and walked over to the table and said, "Breakfast is served."

Anne came back to the table and sat down.

Joe pushed her back in and draped her napkin in her lap again before he took his own seat.

Anne took a bite of her eggs and then asked, "You keep mentioning I remind you of your late wife, do you have a picture of her?"

Joe replied as he went to get his wallet from his jacket, "Of course I have a picture of Beverly." He pulled out his wallet, flipped through a few photos, and found one of him and Beverly holding each other right after she told him that he was going to be a father. A Tear left his eye as he looked at how happy both he and his late wife looked when he found out he was going to be a father. He brought his wallet back over to Anne and said, "This was taken by her father, right after Beverly told me I was going to be a father."

Anne took a look at the photo and her eyes focused on Beverly. She said, "She was a lovely woman Joe, I am so sorry for your loss."

Joe looked at the photo over her shoulder and said, "Thank you Anne. She was such a loving and caring woman. Every time she walked into the room I was in, the air felt lighter for some reason. "

"You loved her Joe and she was going to be the mother of your child. So of course you felt differently around her," Anne said.

Joe took his seat; obviously sadden from talking about his lost wife.

Anne caught on rather quickly and asked, "Why did you start working for gangs after your wife was killed by them? I figured that would be the last thing you would want to do."

Joe took her hand in his and then answered, "I didn't want to at first Anne. But the offer they dangled in front of me was too tempting at the time and I was still very distraught after burying my wife. I accepted their offer on the condition I would be allowed to mourn Beverly's death in peace. I was allowed to do so, as long as I produced the designs and the explosives that were required of me. After about a year, I became numb to everything around me. The only thing that mattered was my work. My employers provided me with various women as outlets for my frustration and I partook in order to appease them. However, I was a mindless soul until finally after five years I wanted out of that life and return to be the man that I once was. I just needed that final push to leave that life behind and start anew." Joe took her hand in his and then said, "Anne, you were that push I needed. I now have a job that I can take pride in and I am on my way to being the man I want to be again."

Anne was in shock that he had to endure such a life, but she was also happy that he now had the opportunity to turn his left around, possibly with her in it. She said, "Why don't we finish up here Joe. This breakfast is too good to waste and then we can sit in the living room and we can talk more or something, if you like."

"Sure Anne, Beverly and I used to have breakfasts like this, and then sit around and watch movies together," Joe said after he took his hand back.

"That does sound nice Joe, on second thought; I was hoping to go for a stroll around the park. It's such a nice day and I would hate to not enjoy it," Anne countered.

Joe liked the idea of walking around the park, especially if he managed to have Anne on his arm. He said, "Alright, if a stroll in the park is what the lady wants that is what the lady is going to get."

They ate and discussed happier times and laughed at some of the stories Anne told about when she first started out as a reporter. They also talked about how some of Joe's experiments went awry and created exploding globs of goo that covered the lab. That story caused Anne to laugh so hard she started choking.

Joe got up and patted her on the back until the coughing stopped. They looked at each other in the eye and Joe's heart starting thumping in his chest.

Anne was also feeling nervous as she looked into Joe's eyes, especially when he started moving forward bringing his lips closer to hers. She closed her eyes and waited for their lips to touch for the first time.

As luck would have it, Anne's phone started to ring just when their lips were a breath's distance from connecting. Anne pulled back and said, "I really should get that, it might be the office with an assignment."

Joe wasn't ready to let the moment go just yet, he said, "Are you sure you would rather get that or continue where we left off?"

Anne gave him a slight push away and went to answer the phone, she answered with panted breaths, "Hello?"

"Hey Anne, its Callie, Chance and I are taking Sabrina for a ride out in the country. We wanted to know if Sabrina's favorite aunt wanted to join us." Callie asked.

Anne turned her head back to Joe and saw him starting to clean up. She turned back towards the empty room and answered, "As much as I love spending time with my niece, I have company."

"Company? As in the male type? Ooo, is he at least handsome?" Callie asked.

"Hold on a minute girl, who is the reporter here? And yes, he is quite handsome," Anne said.

"Well, bring him along then. I'm dying to meet this man who has wormed his way into your heart Anne," Callie said.

"So you can ask twenty questions in five minutes? I don't think so. We are going for a nice leisurely walk in the park this afternoon. Then who knows?" Anne said.

"A leisurely walk in the park, more like a nice romantic stroll sounds more like it Anne," Callie said.

"You watch way too many of those romance movies Callie. I'll talk to you later; I need to help him clean up from breakfast. Kiss my niece for me, bye," Anne said just before she hung up the phone. As the phone was hitting the base, Anne heard, "Don't you hang up on.." the receiver hit the base, disconnecting the call. Anne then walked back to the kitchen and to Joe who already had an apron on and was doing the dishes. "You don't have to do those Joe, you cooked, the least I can do is clean," Anne said.

"I have this Anne, as much as I like seeing you in tight clothing, I don't want to have other men looking at you in them. Please put on a pair of slacks and a decent shirt while I take care of this. Then we can go for that walk."

"Alright, I'll be right back," Anne said and started walking towards the bedroom.

Joe turned to watch her walk away and then continued with the dishes. As he washed, he said, "My dear Bev, I will forever love you. However, I don't want to be alone anymore. Anne makes this old heart yearn for her and her love. Please understand. I am not being un-faithful to you. But I need to move on with my life."

Anne heard Joe loud and clear as she entered her bedroom. She leaned against the door and put her hands over her heart. She then said, "He feels that strongly about me? Do I feel that way about him?" She walked over to his coat which was draped over her bed rail, picked it up to her face, smelled his scent in the material, and then smiled. She put the coat back down and went to her closet to change. She pulled out a pair of slacks that tapered down her legs but were tight across her waist and butt as well as one of her favorite shirts. She quickly dresses, applies some makeup to her face, and leaves her bedroom.

Joe had finished up with the dishes and was drying them when he heard Anne's bedroom door open. She walked out of the hall and into his field of view. Joe was frozen in place as soon as his eyes saw her.

Anne walked through the living room and over towards the coatrack to find a pair of sensible shoes to slip on her feet. She found the pair she was looking for and bent over to retrieve them.

Joe watched her every move. He was completely entranced by her beauty and grace. When she turned to the side so she could get her shoes and he received an eyeful of her profile, he dropped the plate he was holding. The plate shattered on the floor and that snapped him out of the trance he was in. Joe instantly went to his knees to pick up the broken plate when Anne joined him on the floor and assisted in cleaning up the mess.

Joe said, "I'm sorry Anne, I didn't mean to break your plate."

"It's alright Joe. I had these dishes since college. They were bound to break sooner or later," Anne replied.

Joe realized how close they were and how wonderful Anne smelled. His body started to react on its own accord and he backed away before he did something that he would regret.

They finished picking up the shards from the broken dish, placed the pieces in the trash, and dusted themselves off. Joe extended his hand to her and asked, "Shall we go? I can't wait to walk around the park with you holding onto my arm."

Anne blushed a just a hair and said, "Sure Joe." She slipped her arm into his and then said, "Lead on."

They left the apartment and headed out into the city streets and eventually into the park. They walked arm-in-arm for about a half an hour, then Anne rested her head in his shoulder.

Joe liked, no loved having Anne this close to him and never wanted it to end. They walked a little further down the path and found a young man who was making sketches of cats in order to help defer some of his college costs. The man spotted Joe and Anne and asked, "Does the married couple wish to have a sketch made of them?"

Both Joe and Anne looked at each other and then laughed. Anne then said, "We are not married but I would not mind having a sketch done. What do you think Joe?"

"Sure, why not," Joe replied.

"Great! I'm sorry that I assumed you two were married. It's not often that I get to see a couple so in love with each other. Please take a seat, this won't take much more than a fifteen minutes," the man said.

Joe and Anne sat on a pair of five-gallon buckets turned upside down. They put their arms around each other and faced the young man.

The student could not get the same feeling from them as when they were holding each other, he said, "I'm not getting the same vibe from you two as I did when you walked over. Get closer to each other and don't be so tense. You two love each other right? Well act like it."

Joe looked over to Anne and questioned himself, 'Do I really love her? I have only known her for a day and I feel like I have known her all my life but is this really love that I am feeling?'

Anne was asking herself similar questions at the moment. She looked at Joe and asked herself, 'What is it with him? I feel like a teenager again with her first crush on a boy. Technically this is our first date and I am almost picturing spending my life with him. What is wrong with me? Am I that desperate?'

Joe pulled her tighter to his body and whispered into her ear, "Relax Anne, it's a simple sketch. It's not a wedding photo we are taking." Joe tensed up as soon as he finished speaking.

Anne felt him tense up and giggled a little. She then kissed his cheek and said, "You would make a handsome husband Joe."

"And you would make a gorgeous bride Anne," Joe replied and relaxed. Then they touched noses together and the student said, "Hold it right there! Don't move an inch!" He quickly started sketching on his pad.

"Well, this is embarrassing. I mean, I like you but this is almost kissing," Joe said

"In some cultures, we are kissing Joe," Anne said.

The student made quick work of the sketch and then said, "Almost done, would the lovely couple care to take a look?"

Joe didn't want to let Anne go. Her breath was turning him on and the only thing he wanted to do was to dive in and kiss her.

Anne was feeling very similar to Joe. His hot breath on her lips was quite affecting and she wanted to taste his lips on hers. She then answered, "Sure."

They reluctantly pulled back, got off of the buckets, and took a look at the sketch. What they saw in the sketch was pure emotion pouring off of the page. The sketch showed them hopelessly in love with each other, even though they both denied it.

Joe gulped and then said, "Great work! How much do I owe you?"

"Twenty please," the student responded.

Joe opened his wallet, pulled out a hundred, gave it to the student, and said, "Clean it up and keep the change."

"Thank you! Come back in a half an hour and this will be life like, I promise!" the student exclaimed.

Joe turned to Anne and asked, "Shall we continue our stroll?"

Anne didn't even respond, she simply latched her arm through his and led him down the path.

They walked for another fifteen minutes, when they came across a playground full of young kittens running around and having fun. They stopped to watch the kittens play while their hands were tightly intertwined. Out of the corner of Joe's eye, he spotted a kitten girl running off of the playground by herself and heading towards the pond just across the path. Her mother also saw her daughter running towards the pond and shouted, "Bethany! Stop right there and come back!"

Joe let go of Anne to help the mother stop her daughter before she accidentally ended up in the pond. Unfortunately Bethany was a shade quicker than he thought. She ended up in the pond and started screaming for help. Joe got to the end of the pond, removed his jacket and shoes, and jumped into the pond to get the kitten.

Anne followed Joe to the pond's edge and tried her best to comfort the mother.

Joe managed to get the kitten into his grasp, and started to bring her to the edge of the pond. When they got to the edge of the pond, he gave the kitten to her mother and asked, "Now why would a sweet little girl go and run into a pond?"

"Duck," the girl responded. "I wanted to see the duck."

"Well, you saw the duck, nice and close,' Joe said.

The mother hugged her daughter and said, "Thank you! I don't know what I would do if I lost her. How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't worry about it, I don't need anything, except some dry clothes," Joe turned to Anne and said, "Let's get out of here before the Enforcers and the press show up. I don't need the publicity."

They left the pond and headed back towards Anne's apartment. On the way back, they stopped to pick up the sketch that was done earlier. The student said as they arrived, "I heard what you did by the pond, nice save man. That took guts to jump into that pond for a girl that you didn't know."

"No it didn't. I did what had to be done and I would do it again in a heartbeat," Joe said as he dripped water onto the pavement.

"You are a hero buddy. The press is going to love you," the student said.

"No! No press! Look kid, you never saw us period." Joe said as he reached into his jacket pocket that Anne held and pulled out another hundred dollar bill. He handed it to the student and said, "You understand! You never saw us!"

"Got it. Not sure why though but I never saw you two," the student said.

"Good," Joe said and took the sketch from the student. He then led Anne out of the park and back to her apartment.

Anne was completely confused as to why Joe did not want to be recognized for his bravery. She let them into her apartment and closed the door behind them.

Joe quickly engaged the deadbolt and then slumped down to the floor.

"What was all that Joe? You save a kitten from drowning, told that nice student that he never saw us after giving him a hundred dollars, and then drag us back here. My reporter's nose is telling me there is a story here and I want to know what it is," Anne said while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want to keep you safe Anne, "Joe muttered.

"What was that Joe? I didn't hear you," Anne asked.

"I want to keep you safe Anne! That is what I told the judge. Part of the deal with him is you are to be protected at all times by any means necessary Anne!"

"Why do I need to be protected? I don't understand Joe, what are you not telling me?" Anne asked almost on the verge of tears.

"You need to be protected because I can't lose you!" Joe yelled.

"What makes you think that you will lose me Joe?" Anne asked.

"They took away everything I loved Anne and they will do it again! I don't want to lose the woman I am in love with!" Joe yelled and then started crying. He continued, calmer this time, "Until my former employers are all behind bars you are not safe. Once they know you and I are involved with each other, they will use you to get to me and I will not allow that to happen."

Anne was in shock when she heard that Joe loved her. She nervously asked, "You.. You love me?"

Joe looked up into her eyes though his tear filled ones and simply replied, "Yes Anne, I love you."

"How Joe, we just met and you are telling me you love me?" Anne asked as she slumped down to be next to him.

"Anne, I feel so comfortable around you. I feel I can tell you anything. When we were trapped in that warehouse yesterday, something told me to keep you safe at all costs and when I was being arraigned, I only thought of you and how wonderful it would be to date you. That is why I want to go straight; I want to be with you Anne. This old man is in love with a young, sassy, red-hot reporter who only hopes that she loves him back," Joe said.

"I.. I don't know Joe, this is all so sudden. I'm not ready for this," Anne said.

"Anne, that sketch we had done this afternoon tells me you are. Look into your eyes in the sketch and tell me you don't see love pouring out of them," Joe said as he stroked her hair.

Anne turned and looked at the sketch; she saw exactly what Joe did. Her eyes showed the love she had for him and it was plainly written all over her face and her smile as their noses touched. She turned back to Joe and said, "Why does this have to be so hard, love is supposed to be easy when you find that right someone, yet this is so hard. Joe, I care for you, but is this love? I don't know."

"You don't have to say it now Anne. Just because I said that I love you does not mean you have to say it back. We will take our time and let this relationship bloom just like those lilies alright Anne?" Joe said.

Anne went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck just before he buried her head in his left shoulder.

Joe wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. He said, "Anne, I will wait forever just to hear you say that you love me back. I don't care how long it takes."

Anne cuddled into him and softly said, "I love you too Joe."

Joe heard her and then said, "You have just made me the happiest man in the city. May I kiss you?"

Anne lifted her head, leaned forward, and then kissed him.

Joe kissed her back for a minute and then pulled back. After they separated he said, "I'll take that is a yes." He then kissed her again.


	4. Anne's Chance at Love CH3

Anne pulled back from their kiss and said, "That was amazing. I have never been kissed like that before."

"That is because we love each other Anne. The last time I felt like this was when I was kissing Beverly," Joe said. He then noticed Anne was as soaked as he was and said, "Your clothes are soaked to the point your shirt is almost see through. I don't want you to get sick, please change into something else."

"And what about you?" Anne asked. "You are dripping wet and I don't think you have anything to change into."

"I have to call a few of my associates anyway. I can have them bring me something to change into but would you mind if I did get out of this stuff? As much as I love this suit, the wet material is sticking to my fur and it's getting really annoying," Joe said.

"Go ahead, my bedroom is straight down the hall, "Anne said. "There might be a set of sweat clothes in the bottom drawer of my dresser left over from an ex of mine that will probably fit you."

Joe frowned that some other man had clothes in her apartment. He got up from the floor and started walking towards her bedroom.

"Oh don't be jealous Joe, I broke off the relationship when I realized he only wanted me as eye candy and was not ready for the type of relationship I wanted," Anne said as she got up from the floor.

Joe turned to her and said, "Too bad for him. He lost out on one of the best women in the city and now she is mine and I couldn't be happier about it."

"As am I, I get to be around a smart, cunning, and handsome man, who is slightly older and knows how to treat a lady. Now go and shower up, your dripping water all over my carpet," Anne said.

Joe smiled and started deliberately moving his tail out of the way of his backside as he walked, so she could get a good view of his backside in the now tight pants he wore.

Anne noticed his movements, grabbed a throw pillow from the couch, and threw it at his head. It hit him and threw him slightly off balance. She then said, "You have plenty of time to show off that body of yours Joe, just not when your dripping wet. Go and dry off or do I have to do it for you?"

Joe stopped and asked, "Would you?" He then smirked.

Anne grabbed another pillow and threatened to throw it at him again and he said, "Alright I'll go. Remind me not to get on your bad side. You are deadly with a pillow." He then went into her bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Anne put the pillow back on the couch. She went to pick up the pillow she threw at Joe and said, "For such a debonair man, he can be infuriating at times."

Joe stripped out of his suit and walked into the bathroom. He turned the shower on and waited for the water to warm up. While he waited, he put both of his hands on the counter, looked into the mirror, and said, "You had better not screw this up. She is everything that Beverly was and then some." He then walked back to the shower, pulled back the curtain, and got in.

Anne had just finished cleaning up the wet mess by the front door to the apartment and went to the spare bedroom to change her shirt. She removed the one she was wearing and her bra. Anne opened the dresser and found a comfortable t-shirt to put on, slipped it on her body, and went back into the living room. As she was walking towards the kitchen, she heard a knock on her door. She went over to the door, opened it, and instantly had a small kitten wrapping her arms around her legs. The kitten said with glee, "Aunt Anne!"

Anne looked down at the kitten and asked, "Hey Sabrina, what are you doing here?"

"Mommy said she had to come here to check on you and your friend," Sabrina answered.

"Oh, she did? Well come in and let's see if I have some milk and cookies for my cute niece," Anne said.

Sabrina let Anne's legs go and took her hand as they went to the kitchen.

Callie entered the apartment about a minute after Sabrina did and closed the door behind her. She heard her daughter and Anne laughing in the kitchen and went to them. She saw Sabrina shoving a cookie in her mouth and said, "Don't eat too many of those Sabrina, we are going home soon and daddy is taking us for dinner later. If your aunt and her mysterious friend wants to join us they can."

Sabrina put the cookie down and turned her head towards Anne and asked, "Will you come with us for dinner?"

"I don't know Sabrina; I have to see what my friend wants to do first. I don't think he is ready to meet your mother yet," Anne answered.

"And why would he not be ready to meet me Anne?" Callie asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"Simple my dear friend, I don't think he is ready to answer all of the questions you are going to throw at him. I have known you for years Callie and when it comes to men, especially ones you are not married to, you are worse than I am with your questions," Anne responded.

Sabrina tugged on Anne's pant leg and when Anne crouched down to her, she said, "I need to use the potty."

"Go right ahead Sabrina, you know where it is," Anne said.

Sabrina took off towards the bedrooms as fast as her little legs could carry her. She opened the door to the bathroom and used the toilet. She flushed the toilet and washed her hands. But as she went to dry them, she noticed a man in the shower and she screamed.

Joe was completely lost in thought about Anne and the possible life they could be spending together. He was leaning against the wall of the shower as the hot water cascaded down his body and he dreamed of standing at an altar, wearing his best tux, then the doors to the chapel opened, revealing his bride. Anne was dressed in a princess cut wedding gown with a lace veil covering her face. She looked so gorgeous that his heart skipped a beat. They had just finished saying their vows and he was leaning in for their first kiss as a married couple, when he heard the scream of a kitten girl. Joe was instantly snapped out of his vision, grabbed a towel to cover himself, and shut off the water.

Sabrina ran out of the bathroom and directly into her mother's arms. Callie said to Sabrina, "I have you honey."

"Mommy, why is there a naked man in Aunt Anne's bathroom?" Sabrina asked.

"I don't know dear," Callie answered and then lifted her head to face Anne and asked, "Why is there a naked man in your room Anne?"

Anne let out a frustrated growl and answered, "He is my boyfriend Callie and the reason he is naked is he was taking a shower to wash the pond water out of his fur."

"Sabrina, go and play in the spare room for a bit alright?" Callie asked.

"Ok mommy, don't be too hard on Anne. I should have listened better before walking in," Sabrina said as she left to the spare bedroom.

"She is really a good girl Callie. You and Chance lucked out having her as a daughter," Anne said.

"Don't change the subject Anne, you still have yet to explain why you have a man in your bedroom and why is he naked? Are you sleeping with him? If yes, I want details!" Callie asked.

"No, I am not sleeping with him! Joe rescued a kitten this afternoon from drowning in the pond at the park. Apparently she wanted to see the ducks up close and personal. Joe jumped in after her and pulled her from the pond. That is why he is taking a shower to wash whatever is in that pond out of his fur," Anne said.

"So he is the one that saved the girl this afternoon? The mayor is looking for him; he wants to give Joe a certificate for bravery or something for diving in to help that kitten. Apparently, no one at the park saw anything," Callie said.

"Joe is the quiet type and does not want any fanfare. He is fine with knowing he saved that kitten and does not want to be recognized. Please tell the mayor to leave him alone," Anne said.

Callie out her hands on her hips and said, "Why do I get the feeling you are not telling me something Anne."

Joe finished drying himself off, changed into the sweat clothes Anne mentioned, and left the bedroom. He heard the two ladies in the kitchen and walked in. He put his arm around Anne and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't think to lock the door. I didn't know you were expecting company."

Anne kissed his cheek and said, "I wasn't. Joe, meet Callie Furlong and you already met her daughter Sabrina."

"Nice to meet you Callie, I apologize again for scaring your daughter," Joe said as he extended his hand to Callie.

Callie gave him a once over with her eyes and noticed he was an older man, not much older but older none the less. She took his hand in hers and gave it a firm shake. She then said, "Nice to meet you too Joe. Aren't you a little old to be dating such a young woman?"

"Not at all Callie, I'm only 42 so I am only twelve years older than Anne. Where is your daughter? I want to apologize to her if you don't mind?" Joe asked.

"She is in the spare bedroom, probably watching TV," Callie answered.

"If you will excuse me ladies, I have to make things right with a little girl," Joe said and walked away.

Both Callie and Anne watched him walk back towards the bedrooms and then enter the spare bedroom. Callie asked, "Did you notice how firm his butt looks for an older man?"

"He is not that old and yes I did notice how firm his butt is," Anne said.

Joe knocked on the spare bedroom's door, opened it a hair, and asked, "Can I come in Sabrina?"

"Sure," Sabrina responded.

Joe entered and sat down on the bed next to her and asked, "What are you watching?"

"Some princess movie where the princess gets rescued by a handsome prince and they live happily ever after," Sabrina said.

"Sounds exciting," Joe said.

"Not really, things like this don't happen," Sabrina said.

"They don't? I rescued your aunt and we fell in love," Joe said.

Sabrina turned to him and asked, "You did?"

"Of course! Your aunt Anne was in a warehouse, when the ceiling collapsed. I dove in to push her out of the way of the falling debris. We started talking and now we are dating. Do you want to know something else?" Joe asked.

Sabrina's eyes were now wide with anticipation and her tail swished rapidly across the bed. She replied, "Sure!"

"I thought your aunt has the cutest nose I have ever seen. However, yours is cuter," Joe said and then he tickled Sabrina.

Sabrina laughed as Joe tickled her; she then rolled onto her back from laughing so hard.

Joe loved hearing Sabrina's laughter. As he continued lightly tickling the kitten, he thought, 'Wow, this is how it feels to be a father. I love it. Sabrina is about the same age as my kitten would have been. I wonder if they would have been friends.' Joe stopped tickling Sabrina and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Why did you stop? I was having a real good time." Sabrina asked.

"Sorry, I was thinking about my un-born child. He or she would have been about your age," Joe replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You would have made a good father, just like mine is," Sabrina said.

"Thank you," Joe said. He perked up and asked, "Hey, you want to play?"

"Sure! What do you want to play?" Sabrina responded.

"Whatever you want," Joe said with a smile on his face.

"I like it when my daddy puts me on his shoulders and runs around while I stick my arms out like a pair of wings on a plane," Sabrina said.

"Alright then," Joe said and crouched down so Sabrina could get on his shoulders. "Climb on my shoulders and I will give you the best plane ride you ever had."

Sabrina climbed onto Joe's back and Joe locked his arms around her legs so she would not fall off. He stood up and asked, "Ready for your flight?"

"Yes I am," Sabrina said.

"Here we go!" Joe exclaimed and ran around the small bedroom. Eventually the small room was not big enough for him to run in so he opened the door and left the bedroom to run around Anne's apartment.

Callie and Anne were still taking in the kitchen when they heard the very distinctive happy squeal of Sabrina. They both turned around to see Joe running into the room with Sabrina sitting on his shoulders with her arms spread out wide.

Anne watched as Joe ran around with Sabrina on his shoulders with a large smile on his face. She said, "Joe, take it easy. She is only six years old and you are eight times her age."

"Age is relative my love and Sabrina is having fun," Joe replied and then asked. "Right Sabrina?"

Sabrina didn't even answer; she was too busy enjoying herself.

Callie watched as her daughter was having a great time with Joe. She said to Anne, "He is a natural at this. Are you sure he doesn't have kids with another woman?"

"Positive Callie, his wife and child were killed years ago," Anne said.

"That is so sad, what happened?" Callie asked.

"That is not for me to tell you. Joe will have to tell you himself," Anne said.

Joe was starting to tire and he slowed down. He dropped to his knees and said, "Ride over princess."

"Ok, thank you Joe," Sabrina said as she climbed off of Joe's shoulders. She then ran to her mother and put her arms around her legs. Sabrina said, "Uncle Joe is as much fun as daddy is."

Callie picked her daughter up and said, "Glad you think so honey. Come on, daddy is going to start to worry is we are not home soon and we don't want daddy to worry do we?"

"No mommy, when he worries too much, mommy doesn't walk right the next morning," Sabrina said.

Callie's face turned bright red from embarrassment right after Sabrina spoke. Callie said, "We'll see you later Anne, bye Joe." Then both she and Sabrina left.

Anne went over to Joe who was lying down on the couch, breathing heavily. She said, "You didn't have to do that Joe. Sabrina would have been content to watch TV in that room."

"I know I didn't have to Anne, I wanted to. She is such a fun little girl. Callie and her husband are so lucky to have her," Joe said and then leaned back against the couch.

"Actually, I am the lucky one. I get to spoil her and then send her back to her parents," Anne said.

"And I was the one they wanted to put in jail. I can see you now, giving Sabrina all that sweet stuff and then giving her back to Callie. They really must love you to allow you to do that to Sabrina," Joe said.

"They do Joe, and from what Sabrina just told us, they will be expecting child number two before long," Anne said.

Joe chuckled and then said, "Why don't you go and change into something gorgeous and slinky, while I call my associates and get some clothing dropped off."

"Gorgeous and slinky?" Anne asked. "What do you have in mind?"

"Me? I was planning on taking my girlfriend to a nice candlelight dinner and then maybe a little dancing," Joe said.

Anne brought index finger to her lips and said. "Hmm, I might have such an outfit in my closet." She leaned in and kissed him before she righted herself and said, "I'll be back after I make myself gorgeous." Anne slinked off to her bedroom and closed the door.

Joe watched her hips sway as she walked to her bedroom. He said, "I'm not dating a woman, I'm dating a tigress!" He then picked up the phone and called one of his associates.

"Yeah,"

"Frankie; its Joe. I need one of my suits and stuff from my place and dropped off at my girl's apartment," Joe said.

"Sure I can do that, where does your girl live..Wait a minute, girl? I thought you were done with women after the incident with Bev?" Frankie asked.

"I have met someone who I want to be with Frankie and for her, I have gone straight. I work for the Enforcers in the crime lab now," Joe said.

"The bosses are not going to be happy about that. How are you going to keep her safe when you are not with her?" Frankie asked.

'That is where Jeff comes in. Grab him on the way over and while I am at dinner with her, he is going to wire her place with the best stuff he has got. Tell him it's an open check book and I will pay him later," Joe said.

"So you have any idea what that is going to cost? Jeff ain't cheap and neither is the stuff he sells. There is a reason he has several government contracts," Frankie said.

"I don't care! Anne must be kept safe from my ex-employers and I don't trust those bozos from the Enforcers to do it. Get Jeff and get over here. I'll discuss the details when you get here Frankie," Joe said.

"Fine, it's your money; you can do what you want with it. Send me the address; I'm going to get Jeff now," Frankie said and disconnected the call.

Joe hung up the phone and then said, "Frankie is as loyal as you can get and Jeff is the best tech guy I know. Between the two of them you will be safe when I am not with you."

Frankie and Jeff arrived at Anne's apartment ten minutes later. Joe opened the door and Frankie noticed Joe wearing a sweat suit. He said, "That suits you well Joe, going for a run?"

"Can it and give me my suit. I hope you picked a nice one?" Joe said as he took the garment bag from Frankie.

They entered the apartment and Jeff started eyeing the entire apartment. He took meticulous notes on the layout and especially where he could place cameras to watch over the place.

Anne finished with her shower, dried off, wrapped a towel around her, and went into the bedroom. She opened the top drawer of her dresser and withdrew a pair of red laced panties and pulled them up her legs. She then went to the dress she picked out, dropped the towel, and out it on. Anne then walked over to the full length mirror and took a look at her reflection. She turned to get a look at her back and said, "Joe is going to have a heart attack when he sees me in this."

Joe and Frankie were finishing up their plans for Frankie to use the apartment across the hall for his base camp while Jeff was in the hall, trying to find a suitable spot for a camera. He was eyeing the smoke detector when he heard a door open behind him. Jeff turned around and saw Anne walkout of her bedroom wearing a red sleeveless dress that showed off a decent amount of her chest, the straps were almost spaghetti thin, and was backless, tight to her waist and hips, and had a large slit that started very high on her right leg and tapered out as it traveled down to her feet. He quickly ran back to Joe and said, "Trouble is coming on two very long legs."

"Jeff, what the heck are you.." Joe stopped talking when Anne entered the living room.

She sauntered in with her hips and tail swaying. She stopped in front of them and asked, "What do you think Joe?" She then noticed two strange men standing by Joe but all three of them had their mouths hanging open.

Frankie replied, "Ma'am, you look smoking, if you don't mind me saying so."

She turned to Frankie and saw a man that stood a whole head taller than Joe did and had a body that was very well built. He was wearing a decent pair of pants, a fitted shirt, a large wedding ring adorned his left ring finger, and spit shined shoes. She said, "You may and who are you?"

"I'm Frank but everyone calls me Frankie Ma'am."

"Well Frankie, I'm Anne." She turned her head to the other man and saw he was slightly smaller than Joe, had a wiry frame but still had nice muscle tone to him and he was wearing a suit similar to what Joe normally wears. She asked, "And you are?"

Jeff was nervous around women, especially beautiful women and right now, Anne was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He replied, "They call me Tech."

"Tech?" Anne asked. "That is not your real name is it?"

Joe went to Anne's side, put his right arm around her waist, and said, "No, Tech is not his real name. Anne, this is Jeff. He is the one I call when I need anything technical done." He then leaned real close to Anne's ear and said, "He is also very nervous around women, especially ones as beautiful as you."

Anne blushed and said, "Well, maybe a kiss will change that." She walked over to Jeff, leaned in, and kissed his cheek.

Jeff put his left hand over where she kissed him and said, "I have never been kissed by a goddess before. Thank you." He then tipped his hat to her.

"You're so sweet Jeff. I have a younger sister that lives a city over. The last I heard she is still single, would you like to meet her?" Anne asked.

"If she looks anything like you do miss Anne, I would love to meet her," Jeff said. He then asked, "Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yes, I do," Anne replied.

"May I take a look at it please?" Jeff asked.

"Let me get it, be right back," Anne answered and went to her everyday bag hanging on the coat rack. She reached inside, pulled out her phone and brought it over to Jeff. "He you go."

Jeff took the phone from her, quickly examined it, and then snapped it in half.

"What did you do that for? I just finished paying that off!" Anne exclaimed.

"That model is too easy to hack. You will be traced and I won't let that happen," Jeff said. He searched the remnants of the phone and found the tiny card that held the owner's identification and other information. He removed the card, pulled out a new phone from his jacket pocket, installed the card into the phone, and said as he handed the phone to Anne, "This one can't be hacked and will be connected to the apartment's security system and cameras. It also has a panic button function that will call Frankie and Joe where ever they are. Believe me Miss Anne; you don't want to be on Frankie's bad side ever. He may be a gentle giant right now but when the chips are down and he has a job to do, he takes no mercy on anyone."

"Why do I need any of this?" Anne asked. She turned to Joe and asked him, "I thought you made a deal with the judge and he was going to arrange for protection?"

"Anne, even though I work for them, I don't trust them with my ant farm, much less you. Frankie is the best protection I have ever had and Jeff can wire anything. These two guys I trust with my life and yours Anne. You couldn't be in more capable hands," Joe said. He removed his arm from her, grabbed the garment bag, and went into the spare bedroom to change.

Frankie went to Anne's side and said, "You have nothing to worry about Miss Anne. I have known Joe since his wife passed. If he didn't care for you, we wouldn't be here."

"I'm still trying to come to terms with needing protection. I have always been independent and never had to rely on anyone. Now I have a mountain-sized man who is to be the muscle, another which smashes my phone and gives me a new one with a panic button, and a boyfriend that arranged it all," Anne said as she sank into the couch.

Frankie crouched down next to her and put his left hand on her shoulder. He looked in to her eyes and said, "I wish we didn't have to be here either Miss Anne. I don't want to be apart from my wife and my three daughters but Joe has been like an uncle to my kids and a brother to me. So when he asked me to come and protect you, I couldn't say no." He pulled his wallet out of his pants pocket and asked, "Would you like to see my family?"

"Yes, I would," Anne said.

Frankie opened his wallet and found a picture of him and his wife on their wedding day. A smile crept across his face as he looked as his wife of twenty five years and said, "This was taken on the day I married Emily."

Anne looked at the photo and saw the very happy couple. Frankie stood a good two feet taller than Emily did. Emily looked gorgeous in her wedding gown with her curly dirty blonde hair falling to her shoulders. Anne said, "She is beautiful Frankie."

"She definitely is Miss Anne. However, we didn't exactly get along at first. I met her at college after an academic debate. She was on the opposing team and we got into a heated debate after the match. One thing led to another, and that night after we were yelling at each other, we kissed. Emily and I have been together ever since," Frankie said. He quickly found a picture of his entire family and gave it to Anne. He then said, "Those are my three daughters. My eldest, Crystal is the one on the far left, next to her is Sapphire, and then there is Em and me, and finally Francine to my right."

Anne noticed that Crystal and Sapphire looked like their mother, except a lot taller but Francine took after her father. She giggled and then asked, "Are your daughters going to take up the family business with you?"

"No way! They are big and strong just like me but under no certain terms are they getting involved with the business. Crystal and Sapphire play in the school's orchestra and love it. Francine is finishing high school. She is going to start college this fall," Frankie replied. He then said, "I have a wedding to prepare for in the spring. Sapphire is getting married."

When Anne heard that Sapphire was getting married, she got down onto Frankie's level and hugged him tight. She said, "Congratulations! You have to be very happy for your daughter."

Frankie hugged her back and said, "I am now. At first I wanted to scare off the guy, so I acted all big and bad around him. Well Sapphire caught onto what I was doing and she threatened me with bodily harm. Anne, my daughters and my wife might be smaller than I am. However, they can kick my tail anytime."

That was when Joe came out of the spare bedroom, dressed in a crisp three-piece suit, matching tie, and his hat. He walked into the room and saw Anne hugging Frankie and Frankie hugging him back. Joe crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Frankie, I know you are not stepping out on Emily with my girlfriend, because Emily will kill you if you tried."

Anne separated from Frankie and stood up. She looked over to Joe and let her eyes travel over his well-dressed body. She went over to him, leaned into his shoulder, and said, "Frankie was just telling me that Sapphire was getting married and I was congratulating him."

"Alright Anne, let's get out of here and paint the town red. I have a gorgeous girl on my arm and I want to show her off," Joe said and led her towards the door. He turned around after he helped Anne with her coat. "You two have work to do and I want it done before we get back." Joe said as he closed the door.


	5. Anne's Chance at Love CH4

Joe held the door open for Anne as they left her building. He bowed to her as he held the door with his left hand and crossed his heart with his right, "After you, my beauty."

Anne exited her building and waited on the sidewalk for Joe to catch up to her with her left elbow extended so he could slip his arm through hers.

Joe let the door go and went to Anne's side, slipping his arm through hers and then kissed her cheek. "The night is young, let's paint this town red; doll," Joe said.

Anne frowned and said, "I'm your girlfriend, not your doll. Remember that!"

"My apologies, Beverly loved my little terms of endearment. I thought you would too, "Joe said.

"No, I don't. My last boyfriend called me doll, babe, and the worst thing he ever called me was sexy fox. I hated every single time he called me one of those sexist degrading names," Anne said.

"Very well, love. I will never call you those things again. However, in that dress, you are a sexy fox and you're my sexy fox!" Joe said.

Anne lightly punched him in the arm and then leaned her head onto his shoulder. They walked a few blocks until they reached an older model Cadillac sedan. Joe removed his arm from hers, fished the keys out of his pocket and un-locked and opened the door. He then said, "Your ride awaits."

With Joe's assistance, Anne slid into the passenger's seat. As she sat, her right leg became more exposed which Joe definitely noticed. He gulped as more and more of the toned appendage peered out from under her dress.

Anne buckled herself into the seat and noticed Joe acting strangely. She asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine Anne," Joe answered without removing the focus on her legs.

Anne noticed where his eyes were focused and decided to play with him. She stretched out her right leg which allowed the dress to pool between her legs and exposed her entire right leg, all the way up to her hip.

Joe almost fell backwards as he closed her door. He tried his best to shake the images of Anne's legs out of his mind. However, the images wouldn't go away. He so wanted to run his hand up her leg and see if her fur was as soft as it looked but he was a gentleman and would not attempt to touch her like that, unless she wanted him to.

He ran around to his side of the car, got in, and took off towards the five star restaurant he had reservations for.

Frankie and Jeff had almost finished setting up the cameras as well as the new wireless security system in Anne's apartment. Jeff was busy programming the new door locks as well as the alarm system while Frankie wired up a motion sensor.

Meanwhile, Emily snuck into the apartment that Joe had rented out for Frankie to stay in while he was protecting Anne. She set herself up in the bedroom and removed the top coat she was wearing, revealing some very sexy lingerie in order to entice her husband to 'play' with his wife. She waited patiently for him to retire for the night so she could ponce on her husband.

Frankie finished wiring up the last of the motion sensors and took down the ladder he was standing on. He then asked, "All done Jeff, how's the programming going?"

Jeff sat in front of his laptop chewing away at the pencil in his mouth. He was checking each of the cameras to make sure they were all in focus and could be accessed remotely, when he noticed that one of the images was upside down. "What the hell," Jeff said. "Frankie, go and check the camera facing the balcony."

Frankie went over to the tiny camera that was hidden in the crown molding. He looked up at the thing and asked, "What's wrong with it?"

"Everything is upside down, did you follow the instructions I gave you and made sure that the red dot was facing up?"

Frankie turned his head towards the direction Jeff's voice was originating from and said. "Jeff, you told me to have the dot facing down, not up. It won't fit behind the molding if I rotate the camera." He started walking back towards the room Jeff was setup in and asked, "Can't you fix it in the software?"

"Can't you fix it in the software?" Jeff mumbled as he accessed the camera's web interface and flipped the image. "I fixed it. Remind me not to hire you as an installer."

Frankie went over to Jeff, pulled him into a tight bear hug and asked, "Any why would that be, my dear friend?"

Jeff felt the sheer strength behind Frankie's embrace and knew that he could crush him, if he really wanted to. He answered, "You're horrible at wiring, can't follow simple instructions, and you are way too big to fit into tight places!"

Frankie knew that Jeff was joking with him. They have been best friends for years and could say things like that to each other and not expect any retribution in return, except maybe some friendly payback when the other least expects it. Frankie also knew that Jeff loved his wife's cooking so much; he was there almost every night. Not that Emily didn't mind another mouth to feed since their three daughters ate large quantities of food to keep their bodies in top shape as well as her husband that Jeff was basically eating what was left. To her, it was less clean up that she had to do. However, Jeff would not let her lift a sponge, he insisted on cleaning everything up himself despite being a guest in their house. "Oh, in that case, you don't need to come to dinner tomorrow night. Emily is making one of Crystal's favorites, hot and spicy chicken stir-fry with fried rice."

Jeff broke free of Frankie's grasp and spun around. He then said, "That's not playing fair! Emily's cooking is better than my mother's and I love seeing my nieces, especially when they are roughhousing with you. It's so adorable watching three girls kicking the tail of a man that can take on six men on his own and go back for more."

"I know you do Jeff and I would never deny you the opportunity of seeing my family. Besides, Emily would cut my balls off if I told her that her favorite servant was not coming to dinner anymore. Face it brother, you are as much a part of my family as my own children are. Also, who am I going to call when Francine messes up the TV again? You had to put in such a complicated system when all Emily and I wanted was a simple large flat screen with surround sound in the den," Frankie said.

"Yeah and you and Emily would be turning on the coffee maker instead of the TV by grabbing the wrong remote if I didn't install those touch-screens that do everything for you and Francine is such an adorable and smart woman. Sure she messes up my programming as she tries to make things work better for you and Em but she tries her best. Heck, if she was only a hair older, I might date her."

Frankie narrowed his eyes and asked, "You like Francine?"

"Yes I like her, what's not to like? She is smart, beautiful, and stubborn as a mule. Francine is going to make some man very happy someday, not me though. I love her as a niece and nothing more Frankie," Jeff replied.

"Good, as much as Em and I love you, I don't need you dating one of my daughters," Frankie said.

"I love you too, you big lug. Let's get this place cleaned up and you set-up in your new temporary home," Jeff said knowing all the while Emily was probably already in the apartment waiting for Frankie so show up.

They made fast work of the clean-up and left Anne's apartment spotless. Before they left, Jeff sent a quick note to Joe's phone telling him that Anne's apartment was secure and then they both left.

Jeff waved so long to Frankie as he walked down the hall, tool bag in hand while Frankie removed the key Joe gave him for the apartment. He inserted the key into the lock and gave the knob a turn to the right. However, the door swung open, a small pair of hands grabbed his shirt and pulled him into the apartment, and the door was closed as quickly as it was opened.

Jeff heard the door being closed from down the hall. As he pressed the button to call the elevator, he said, "Have fun my dear friend. Hopefully Joe and Anne won't need you tonight."

Joe was driving down the highway heading towards the restaurant he was planning on taking Anne to when his phone buzzed indicating an incoming message. He waited until he exited the highway and stopped to pull his phone out of his suit jacket pocket. Joe quickly scanned the message and put the phone away. He turned to Anne and said, "Jeff and Frankie are done. Be sure to disarm the new security system with your phone before entering your apartment. If I know Jeff, he will have a very unpleasant surprise for unwelcome visitors plus Frankie is right across the hall, I feel sorry for anyone trying to break into your apartment now and having to deal with a man that can easily lift three hundred pounds."

"Thank them for me Joe, can I ask you something?" Anne asked.

"Sure Anne, you can ask me anything," Joe responded.

Anne turned to him and asked, "How did such a nice man like Frankie get involved with your ex-bosses?"

Joe re-focused his gaze out of the windshield and gripped the wheel nice and tight. He answered, "He never had a choice Anne. His father and grandfather were the muscle for the family and he was expected to take on the family business. Frankie did as he was told by his father and throughout high school; he bulked up and learned the ways of the family. After he graduated, the family took him in and he was set for life as long as he never crossed the family. However, Frankie had a brain that loved to learn and debate. So he pleaded to his father to let him attend college and that was exactly what happened. Frankie went to college and joined the debate team. He was good and the team won every debate he participated in. Now, I am not going to bore you with how Emily met Frankie again, because he probably told you that story already but I will tell you that when they first met, you could cut the tension with a knife. Emily was the top debater for the opposing team and she was determined to knock Frankie down a few pegs. She walked right up to him and looked up right in the face. Frankie has always been the gentle giant and to see this little spit fire of a woman walk right up to a man that was almost twice her size and say I'm going to mop the floor with you was quite enthralling."

Anne then asked, "You were there when they met Joe?"

"Of course I was there Anne, he was assigned to be my bodyguard by the family so where ever I went, Frankie was right beside me and I was right beside him for everything he did. Now, as the debate went on, Emily defeated every one of the opposing team's members with relative ease, except Frankie. The score was tied up and the announcer asked the final question for debate. Emily was to answer first followed by Frankie's rebuttal. However, things did not go quite according to plan. Emily finished making her opening statement and when Frankie started his rebuttal, Emily interrupted him and stated his answer was completely un-plausible and lacked any thought. That set Frankie off. He left his side of the stage and confronted the tiny woman who had the audacity to stand up to him. He stood in front of her with his large arms crossed in front of his even larger chest and argued his point. Emily heard every word he said and then grabbed a chair to stand on so she could get in his face. Once she was on an even keel with him, she un-loaded and spat an opposing argument right back at him. That was Frankie's demise; he picked up the woman in his left arm and carried her off stage. I thought he was going to kill her as soon as he was out of sight. So I ran as fast as I could to get back stage before he did something foolish and found him holding her in his arms, kissing her while her legs were wrapped around his mid-section holding her up. They have been together ever since."

Anne laughed after Joe finished his story. She then said as she took a tissue out of her clutch to wipe away a tear of laughter away from her eye, "Frankie never told me the whole story. You must have been shocked when you saw them kissing back stage instead of his hands wrapped around her throat."

Joe made a right turn and then said, "Frankie would never lay a hand on a woman that was the way he was raised. His father would kill him instantly if he found out that Frankie struck a woman. Anne, you thought Frankie was large, you should have seen his father. That man could easily lift the back side of a car."

Anne's phone started to ring in her clutch. She pulled it out and saw a picture of Callie and Sabrina on the screen with their cheeks touching. She touched the Answer button and asked, "Hi Callie, are you having fun with my niece at dinner?"

"I'm not my mommy aunt Anne, it's Sabrina. Are you coming to dinner? We are over at The Mouse Trap. Daddy just went to get tokens for me to play the games."

"Oh Sabrina, Uncle Joe and I are not dressed for that place, so you have fun with mommy and daddy alright?" Anne said.

Anne then heard a few sobs on the other end of the phone. Sabrina said, "I wanted to play with Uncle Joe again. Please come and have dinner and play with me Anne."

Anne cupped the phone and turned her head to Joe. She then asked, "How much do you love me?"

Joe answered, "With all my heart and soul Anne."

"Can we change our dinner plans? You made such a good impression on Sabrina; she wants to have dinner with us tonight. She is on the verge of tears right now because I told her we were not dressed for the Mouse Trap." Anne asked.

Joe pulled off to the side of the road and put the car in park. He turned to her and said, "I have reservations at the hottest restaurant in the city. This is technically our first date Anne and I wanted to show you the best this city has to offer."

"Joe, we can do that another time, and there will be other times where you can woo me off of my feet. We still can go dancing tonight after we have dinner with Sabrina and her parents. You can't tell me you don't like Sabrina? Anne said.

"No, I can't tell you that Anne. I do like her, a lot. That little girl is going to be a heartbreaker when she gets older. Alright, The Mouse Trap it is. Tell Sabrina we are on the way." Joe said as he put the car in gear and pulled out into traffic.

Anne smiled and un-removed her hand from the phone. She then said, "We are on our way Sabrina, see you soon." She tapped the End button with her finger and turned to Joe before she said, "You have just made a little girl happy. I owe you one."

Joe reached across the seats and out his right hand on Anne's left thigh. He then said, "Nah, you don't owe me anything. I sort of prefer seeing Sabrina smiling rather than the stiffness that we would get at that fancy place anyhow. Playing with her today made me think of how much fun it would have been to be a father." He pulled up to a stop sign, turned to her and asked, "Do you want kids Anne?"

Anne turned to him and placed her right hand on his cheek and answered, "Of course I want children. Ever since my nephew Caleb was born and I held him in my arms for the first time, I knew I wanted children of my own."

Joe took her hand in his and kissed it. He then said as the light changed, "Good, I want at least three. Two girls and a boy would be my preference. However as long as they are healthy I'll be happy." He then continued driving.

"At least three? I was thinking of two at the most. If we are going to be parents in the very distant future, that is if we are still together, you will be carrying the third kitten!" Anne exclaimed as she removed Joe's hand from her thigh.

Joe quickly imagined Anne being pregnant with his child and smirked. He then thought, 'Boy I have it bad for her. Not only am I imagining marrying her, now I am having thoughts about our kittens!'

Joe eventually reached across the seats again and lightly touched her left hand with his right. She opened her hand and took his in hers. They rode the rest of the way with their hands tightly intertwined and smiling.

They arrived at the Mouse Trap twenty minutes later. Joe helped Anne out of the car, closed her door, and slipped his arm through hers. They both walked into the restaurant and tried to find Callie and Sabrina in the melee of kittens running around the place.

Anne turned her head to the left and peered down a long row of tables with cheap table cloths draping over them and pizza trays adorning most of them. She found Chance sitting near the back corner with his head in his hands. From what she saw, he was trying to fend off a headache. She tapped Joe on the shoulder and said, "I found Callie's husband. Let's go and see what my niece is doing."

Joe followed Anne deeper into the restaurant that was obviously not his element. Between all of the kittens running around, the crappy décor, plus the odor of really bad pizza being cooked, he was almost ready to turn tail and wait in the car for Anne. However, Sabrina spotted him from across the room where she was playing Skeeball with Callie and dropped the ball she was holding onto Callie's foot as she ran to Joe at to speed shouting, "Uncle Joe!"

Joe heard his name being shouted just in time to have Sabrina collide into him and hug his legs. She said, "I'm so happy you and Aunt Anne came!"

Joe bent over and picked up Sabrina and said, "I wouldn't disappoint my little princess. Where is your mother?"

Callie hobbled over to them and said, "She is right here, or at least most of her is." She then focused on her daughter and asked, "How many times have I asked you not to drop things onto the floor little lady? You could have broken my foot Sabrina."

Sabrina cuddled into Joe tighter as she replied, "I'm sorry mommy. Can we go and see if daddy is feeling better?"

"Sure Sabrina," Callie answered as she took her daughter back from Joe. Then they all walked over to where Chance was sitting. Sabrina wriggled out of Callie's grasp and when her feet hit the floor, she ran over to her father and asked, "Are you feeling better Daddy?"

Chance turned his head towards his daughter and replied, "Not really hon, why do you insist on coming here? The food stinks, it's very noisy, and these seats are uncomfortable."

Sabrina pointed to the ball pit off in the corner and said, "That!" She then left her father and ran off to the ball pit with her long blonde hair bouncing with every stride she made.

"Ugh, I was never like that, or at least I don't think I was," Callie said as she rolled her eyes at her daughter's actions. She then grabbed Joe's left arm and said as she dragged him off to the ball pit, "She likes you so much, you can get her out of the ball pit Joe."

Anne and Chance watched as their significant others went after Sabrina. Then Chance turned and finally got a good look at Anne and said, "You look great Anne, I hope my daughter didn't interrupt your date."

"Thanks Chance. You know I can't resist seeing her smiling and having fun," Anne said as she watched Callie and Joe remove Sabrina from the ball pit. She turned to Chance and said, "She really likes Joe and he likes her."

"He was all she was talking about when she came home with Callie, even how she caught him in the shower. Care to explain that one to me Anne?" Chance asked.

"I don't have to explain anything to you Chance. We broke up years ago so my personal life does not concern you anymore," Anne replied.

"When it concerns my daughter seeing a naked man in your shower it does and how old is he anyway?" Chance asked.

"Joe is 42 if you must know and Callie handled the situation quite well!" Anne said.

"You still didn't answer why he was in your shower in the first place." Chance said.

"Fine! Not that it should concern you, we had just finished eight rounds of unbelievable sex and he is much better than you were in pleasing me," Anne stated.

Chance just sat there with his jaw open looking at her in disbelief.

Anne chuckled after a few minutes and said, "I'm only kidding, Joe dove into the pond at the park this afternoon to rescue a kitten. He was washing the pond water out of his fur."

"Whew, I still don't know when you are joking or not Anne. Callie mentioned that Joe pulled that kitten from the pond and you asked her to tell the mayor to leave him alone. He deserves to be acknowledged for what he did. Not many would jump into action like he did so why did you ask Callie to have the mayor back off?" Chance asked.

"Joe is a private man Chance. He does not want all the fanfare, "Anne answered.

Joe and Callie were walking back towards the table with Sabrina sitting on Joe's shoulders. When they arrived at the table, Joe lifted Sabrina off of his shoulders and put her in a chair. He then sat next to Anne and asked, "Did you miss me?" As soon as he was done speaking, he kissed her.

Sabrina saw them kissing and said, "Ew! They're kissing!"

Joe and Anne pulled back from their kiss, turned to Sabrina and Anne asked, "Your mother and father kiss all the time Sabrina. Why can't I kiss Uncle Joe?"

"They are married and can kiss when they want. You and Joe are not married so no kissy kissy," Sabrina said.

Anne and Joe laughed at Sabrina's explanation for a minute. He then leaned in real close to Sabrina and asked, "Do you want to know a secret?"

"Yes Uncle Joe, tell me," Sabrina answered while her tail moved on its own accord.

Joe whispered into her ear, "I love your aunt and I think I want to marry her." He then sat back in his chair.

Sabrina's eyes were now as wide as saucers. She jumped into Joe's lap and hugged him tight.

"What did you tell Sabrina to get her to act like that Joe?" Anne asked.

Sabrina answered, "It's a secret and I can't tell you."

"Oh, it's a secret that you can't tell your own Aunt?" Anne asked. She lifted her head towards Joe and then back to Sabrina and said, "Remember, I am a reporter. I'll find out what he said, one way or another."

Sabrina giggled and then said, "Not from me." She then jumped off of Joe's lap and ran off towards the ball pit again.

Callie watched in amazement as her daughter ran off to the ball pit yet again. She turned to her husband and said, "You get her this time."

Chance got out of his seat and went to get his daughter from the ball pit.

After Chance left, Anne went and sat in Joe's lap and stroked his cheek. She then wrapped her left arm around his shoulders and leaned in towards his face. She then purred into his ear and asked, "What did you say to Sabrina?"

Joe stiffened up as Anne stroked his cheek and purred into his ear. After she asked her question, he replied, "Sorry Anne that is going to remain a secret between me and Sabrina."

Anne removed her arm from Joe and put both of her hands on her hips. She then got up and went after Sabrina and Chance, making sure that Joe received a very good view of her tail and hips as she walked.

Callie watched the entire scene play out in front of her eyes. She laughed and then said, "Joe, Anne is not going to rest until she finds out what you told Sabrina and she can be very resourceful when she needs to be."

Joe's eyes never left Anne's swaying hips in that dress as he responded, "I'm sure that she is very resourceful when she needs to be Callie." He watched Anne reach into the ball pit and lift Sabrina out of it. The dress she was wearing showed off her profile beautifully. He then noticed the way she was holding Sabrina and said, "She is going to be an excellent mother to our kids."

"Did you just say that Anne is going to be an excellent mother to your kids?" Callie asked. She put both of her hands on his shoulders and asked, "Are you really that serious about her Joe?"

Joe's eyes never left Anne and Sabrina as he replied, "Yes and yes Callie. I know this seems awfully fast but love her and I feel so comfortable around her that I can't imagine my life without Anne in it."

Callie hugged Joe which Joe returned. While they were in an embrace, Callie said, "Anne has been through so much pain, she deserves to have a man treat her like a queen and cherish her. Joe, can you be that man? Will you love her the way she wants and needs?"

Joe lifted his head to face Callie and answered, "If she wants to be a queen, I will gladly be her humble servant. If I didn't feel the way I do about her, I wouldn't have gone straight and left the family to be with her."

"Whoa! Back up a few steps, "Callie said as she pushed him away. "Does Anne know what you used to do?"

Joe smirked and then answered, "Of course she does. How do you think we met? Remember that warehouse that collapsed? Anne tripped one of my traps which caused a small explosion that brought the house down, literally. I pushed her out of the way and once I made a deal with the judge, I arrived on her door. We have been together ever since."

"So, what happens when your old employers figure out that you are dating Anne? They are going to go after her to get to you. I won't let that happen, "Callie said.

"And neither will I Callie. Even though I now work for the Enforcers, I don't trust them with her safety. That is why I have a Frankie and Jeff," Joe said.

"And who are Frankie and Jeff?" Callie asked.

"My two best friends," Joe replied and reached into his jacket for his wallet. He opened it and pulled out a photo showing Frankie and Jeff with their arms around Emily. "The big guy on the left is Frankie. He was assigned to be my body guard and muscle when I needed it, not to mention my best friend. The woman in the center is his wife, Emily. The man on the right is Jeff. He is the guy I call when I need anything technical done. He and Frankie are un-separable. Jeff is over at Frankie's almost every night for dinner. Anyhow, I had Jeff wire Anne's apartment with the best security system that money can buy. Plus Jeff gave her a new phone with what I call a 'Frankie' button. The only thing that she has to do is push that button and Frankie and I come a running. Even though Frankie is one of the biggest mushes when it comes to his family, get him riled up and he is a force to be reckoned with." He then noticed Anne and Chance walking back towards them with Sabrina in Anne's arms. He then said, "Speaking of forces to be reckoned with, your daughter is on her way back."

Just as Chance, Sabrina, and Anne sat down, a waitress arrived with the two pizzas Chance ordered for them. She served each of them a slice of pizza and left as quickly as she came.

Chance and Joe took a bite of their slices and grimaced. Joe then said, "They call this pizza? More like cardboard with bad tomato sauce is more like it."

"I agree with you Joe, I can make better pizza than this and I don't cook. Ask my wife how many un-edible meals I have made over the years," Chance said and then he took another bite.

Callie finished chewing what was in her mouth and said, "As much as I love my husband, he can't make a simple bowl of soup without causing a small catastrophe in the kitchen."

Anne finished eating her slice and said, "Luckily for me, Joe knows his way around the kitchen very well. If he keeps cooking for me, I am going to lose this girlish figure that I have."

"You can eat as much of my cooking as you want Anne. I'll keep an eye on that girlish figure of yours for you," Joe said and then heard an old swing style song being played over the speakers. His foot started tapping to the tune and then asked, "Would my princess care to dance?"

Anne was about to answer him, but instead Sabrina answered, "Yes Uncle Joe!" and led him out into the melee of kittens.

Anne placed both of her hands on her hips and said, "Your daughter stole my date! She had better not tire him out, Joe promised me a night of dancing at some club and I am going to hold him to it."

Both Callie and Chance started to laugh while Anne pretended to pout.

Joe was enjoying dancing with Sabrina. Not only did she know how to dance, she was light on her feet as well as Joe's when she accidentally stepped on them. As he twirled Sabrina and she laughed, he thought, 'I wish I could do this with my own daughter. Seeing Sabrina laughing and having fun with me makes me feel real good inside. I don't want this feeling to go away.' The song ended a little too quickly for Joe's liking. He bowed to Sabrina and said, "You danced divinely princess."

"Thank you Uncle Joe. You also danced real well," Sabrina said and then let out a yawn.

"Looks like my princess is tired," Joe said. "Come on, I'll carry you back to the table and to your parents." Joe picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Once Sabrina was comfortable, she fell asleep. Joe looked down at the sleeping kitten and said, "Sleep well my princess." He then kissed her forehead and walked back to the table.

"What did you do to our little ball of energy?" Callie asked when Joe arrived back at the table carrying Sabrina.

"I guess she ran out of gas Callie. I have to admit, I love holding her in my arms while she is sleeping. I almost don't want to give her back. She could be the daughter or son I would have had if my wife was not killed," Joe said as he looked at Sabrina.

"Your wife was killed? What happened?" Callie asked.

Joe handed Sabrina to Chance and then said, "That is a story for another time Callie. Right now, I am going to take my girlfriend to the Silver Ballroom for a night of dancing." He turned to Anne, extended his arm, and asked, "Shall we? I heard the band is going to be hot and I don't want to miss a note!"

Anne got out her chair, smoothed her dress, took his arm, and said, "I'm ready Joe. You had better be as good of a dancer as you claim. Being an ex-cheerleader and the dance lessons I had when I was in school had made me an excellent dancer. I hope you can keep up."

They started walking out of the restaurant after they said their goodnights to Callie and Chance and Joe said, "You don't have to worry about me keeping up with you Anne. I'm in real good shape for a man my age and I can dance as well as you, my sexy fox."

Anne took her arm back from him and punched his arm, nice and hard. She walked away while Joe rubbed his arm and said as he watched her, "I have to be more careful what I say around her. She has got a nice right hook." He then ran after her to apologize profusely.


	6. Anne's Chance at Love CH5

**Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay brothers. I own the OCs.**

 **Thank you USS71832 for following this story! As I said, this was never to be seen by the public. Well, the story had different ideas.**

 **Happy Holidays to all!**

Anne and Joe arrived at the Silver Club and Joe pulled his car up to the valet. A Young Valet attendant instantly went to the passenger's side, opened Anne's door, and helped her out of the car while he said, "Please take my hand miss."

Anne extended her right leg out of the car, placed it firmly on the ground, extended her right hand to the attendant, and replied, "Why thank you." She got out of the car and smoothed her dress while she waited for Joe to escort her into the club.

The attendant's eyes raked over her body and he let out a low wolf whistle in appreciation.

Joe was already out of the car and walking around the front of the car to get to Anne's side. He heard the attendant, grabbed the lapels of his jacket, and angrily said, "That is not the way to address a lady! Do it again, and I promise you will regret it!" He then let him go and walked over to Anne.

The attendant had no idea if Joe was kidding or not. However, the way Anne looked in that dress was way too tempting for him. He muttered, "I would not mind taming that tail and those legs, they look like they go on forever."

Joe heard every word that the attendant said. He kissed Anne's left hand and then said, "You have to excuse me for a minute while I teach that punk a lesson." Joe turned towards the attendant and walked briskly over to him. Joe grabbed the attendant's arm and said, "We need to have a little chat about your manners kid. Let's go." Joe led the attendant off to the dark side of the club and then punched him in the gut.

The attendant doubled over and fell to his knees in pain. While he held his stomach, he looked up at Joe and asked, "Why the hell did you hit me?"

Joe crouched down so his face could be at the same level. He looked the attendant in the eyes and answered, "One, you don't talk like that in front of a woman and two, I am in love with her and even if I wasn't, no woman deserves to be talked about like that, Ever!" Joe got up and walked away leaving the attendant to lick his wounds. As he rounded the corner, he ran smack dab into Anne who didn't exactly look thrilled that Joe punished that attendant in the manner he did.

"Joe, I love you but if you lose your temper like that again, we are through! I am not dating a thug, so think about it very hard," Anne said.

"I promise Anne, I will keep my cool. Speaking of cool, the band is about to start. Shall we head in and you can show me how well an ex-cheerleader who took dance lessons can perform on the dance floor," Joe said as he took her arm in his.

"Oh, is that a challenge I hear?" Anne asked as she cocked her hips. "Well if even if it isn't, you will be begging for mercy by the time the second song starts!" She then led them into the club.

Jeff had left Anne's building and started walking back towards his apartment. As he walked, he thought about what Anne said about meeting her sister and a smile crossed his face. He said, "If her sister looks anything like Anne does, I might just have to take her up on the offer." He came to a corner, looked both ways, and crossed over to the side of the street that contained a college campus and the entrance to the subway that took him back to his apartment complex. While he was walking, he heard a female calling his name. Jeff stopped and looked over his shoulder and saw Crystal and Sapphire coming towards him. He turned his body around to face his adoptive nieces and asked, "Now what brings two nice girls out at this time of night?"

"We had just finished our classes for the evening and were going to get dinner, care to join us Uncle Jeff?" Sapphire asked.

"What man in his right mind wouldn't want to have dinner with two women," Jeff answered. "Wait a minute, if you two had school and your mother is with your father, where is Francine?" Jeff asked.

"She is over at a friend's house studying Uncle Jeff," Crystal responded.

Jeff pulled out his phone and tapped an icon on the screen. He then asked, "Does he have a name?"

"What makes you think it is a 'he' friend? Francine has many friends that are girls too, "Sapphire asked.

"I was a teenager once and I know what happens when Mommy and Daddy are out of the house," Jeff replied.

"You have got to be kidding Jeff. Dad goes to every school function of hers and knows most of her friend's names. Do you honestly think that someone would try something with her knowing that her father is as big as a mountain?" Crystal asked.

"Hmm, I guess not Crystal and if he did try to do something, I would hate to be the one on the wrong side of your father," Jeff replied. "So what do you girls want for dinner? Your uncle Joe had given me a large check for wiring his new girlfriend's place and I'm in the mood to spend some of it,"

Crystal and Sapphire looked at each other briefly and then back to Jeff. Sapphire asked as both of their tails swayed, "Anything we want?"

"Within reason girls, I'm not about to blow the entire thing on one dinner no matter how beautiful the company I am with are," Jeff said.

Both Crystal and Sapphire walked over to Jeff, each one of them took an arm, and lifted him off of the ground. They started walking away from the campus as Sapphire said, "I know just the place Jeff. You might even find a nice woman to take home tonight, if you are lucky enough."

They eventually put Jeff down and let him walk but they never let go of his arms. After a few minutes of walking, they ended up in front of a pub. It looked dingy on the outside. However, the smells that seemed to be coming from the kitchen's exhaust fan made Jeff's mouth water.

"This is the place Jeff, it may look crappy on the outside and inside but the food is real good and the drinks are nice and cold. On top of that, I hear that one of the waitresses is available and she is real cute," Crystal said.

"Wait a minute girls, you didn't drag me here so you could introduce me to one of your friends, right?" Jeff asked.

"Would we do that to you Jeff?" Crystal responded.

Jeff to one look into her eyes and saw the expression on her face. He instantly knew he was being setup. He started to turn around so he could get out of there. But Sapphire grabbed him and said, "Oh no you don't, it's about time you got over your phobia of talking to women Jeff. Violet is a sweetheart and you are going to talk to her and who knows, you two might hit it off."

"Come on Crystal, you know I don't do well around women that I don't know. Why would you do this to your uncle?" Jeff asked as he was being carried into the pub by his nieces.

"Call this divine intervention Jeff. It's about time you were out of our house. Mom doesn't mind feeding you since you clean up. But you are there every other night and worse, without a lady on your arm." Sapphire said as she pushed open the door to the pub.

Sure enough, the pub's interior matched its exterior. It was dark, the furniture was old, and it had a musty smell. Crystal and Sapphire led him to an empty table and forced him to sit down. Then Crystal turned to him and said, "Jeff, we would not be doing this if you only put down the screw driver for a minute and actually get out and find yourself someone. We do love you Jeff and we want you to be happy. You can't deny that you want what our dad and mom have with each other? We know you do. Every time mom hugs or kisses dad you shy away. Well it's about time for you to stop being shy and talk to a beautiful woman and what better time than now cause here comes Violet."

Violet saw her friends walk into the pub she worked at with Sapphire carrying a man in her arms. She shrugged her shoulders, grabbed a few menus from the holder attached to the side of the bar, and went over to them.

Jeff turned his head towards the clicking sound of heels tapping against the wood floor and his jaw dropped open as his eyes saw one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

Violet was a medium height brunet with wavy light brown hair, a long neck, decent sized chest, very curvy hips and waist, and long slender legs. Her clothing only accentuated her looks, between the tight white t-shirt and the black leather pants she wore; every single curve of her body was clearly on display for all to see. She arrived at the table, put the menus down, and hugged Crystal and Sapphire. Violet then asked, "Hey girls, I haven't seen you two in a while, are your classes that bad you can't come by and see your friend?"

"No Violet, our classes are ok. We have been taking Sapphire shopping for wedding supplies and still trying to find the right dress for her," Crystal answered.

Violet snickered and then said, "Ah Sapphire, even when you play in the orchestra, you wore slacks instead of a dress like every other woman on stage. I wonder why, you have the body for a dress so why not wear one every once in a while. Scott might actually like it."

"Come on Violet, you know I hate wearing a dress. I prefer to keep my legs covered and why do women feel the need to show off their breasts? Cleavage is so overrated," Sapphire said.

"Unlike you, some of us are still trying to find the right man. Showing off a little T & A attracts the men to us, Violet said. She then turned her head to the man at the table and asked, "So, who is this delectable specimen? I haven't seen him with you before."

"Violet, meet our family friend Jeff," Crystal said. She turned to Jeff who was definitely showing an interest in Violet and said, "Jeff, this is Violet. She attends college with us and is a Bio-Chemistry major."

Jeff snapped out of the stupor he was in and extended his hand out to Violet. He nervously asked, "A double major, that must be very hard to pull off as well as working here?"

Violet took his hand in hers and gave it a firm shake. His hand felt very warm and comforting to her and she liked the feeling of his touch. She replied, "It's not as bad as you think Jeff. I have always had a mind for math and the sciences. I even tutor these two when they ask for it."

Jeff's nervousness lessened when Violet told him that she liked her classes and she tutored his adoptive nieces. He said, "I was wondering how they actually managed to pass their calculus class. So I guess a thank you is in order."

Both Sapphire and Crystal turned to Jeff and said, "Hey! We could have passed that class on our own!"

"Sure you could. However, you both would have been at my apartment the night before begging me to help you study, "Violet said. "Before I get tossed out on my butt, what do you want from the bar?"

Jeff reluctantly pulled his hand back and answered, "Three ales Violet."

Violet wrote the order down on her pad and said, "I'll be right back with the drinks." and slinked away from the table.

Jeff watched her go and softly said, "Smart and beautiful, what a woman."

Unfortunately for him, Crystal heard every word. She asked, "So, you like Violet Jeff?"

Jeff's gaze never left Violet as she poured their ales and he replied, "What's not to like? She is smart, sassy, and has a body that would make any man mad."

"So, ask her out," Sapphire said.

Jeff turned his head to her and said, "There is no way that Violet would go out with me. I'm.. I'm not her type."

Sapphire shot him a stern look and asked, "That's funny. You just met her and you know what type of guy she likes already? Jeff, stop being so nervous around women, we don't bite, well unless you want us to. Trust us, Violet may be a little more outgoing that mom is but she is very nice and sweet. Crystal and I would never steer you wrong. Ask her out."

Violet arrived carrying a tray with the three ales Jeff ordered. She served them and asked, "Any idea what you want from the kitchen?"

"I'll have a bowl of the chowder Violet," Crystal said.

"Let me have the fish tacos as well as a cup of chowder," Sapphire replied.

"Alright, and for you cutie?" Violet asked as her light blue eyes twinkled.

"May I have the sizzling steak, medium-rare and a side of asparagus?" Jeff asked.

"That's my favorite; it's even better served on garlic toast. Would you like to try it?" Violet asked.

"Sure," Jeff replied.

"Ok, your order will be out in a few minutes. Enjoy your beverages," Violet said and walked away towards the kitchen.

Sapphire turned to Jeff and said, "You didn't ask her out."

"Patience Fire, I will. I promise you, by the end of the night, I will ask her out for a date and her phone number," Jeff said.

Frankie and Emily were lying in bed, basking in the afterglow of making love for four times that night.

Emily stroked the fur on Frankie's expansive chest and kissed his neck. She then said, "That was wonderful Frank. We haven't connected like that in a very long time."

Frankie kissed his wife and wrapped his left arm around her, pulling Emily tight to his body. He then said, "It's hard to make love to you the way we used to with a house full of three girls plus Jeff stopping by for dinner every other night. We are both quite vocal when we make love."

Emily rolled herself onto his chest, grabbed his wrists, and pushed them back against the mattress, trapping him under her. She then said, "Then we are going to have to sound proof our room. I love hearing you grunt and then scream my name as you go over the edge." She then kissed his chest and lightly bit him.

Frankie winced as his wife bit his chest but it had the desired effect on his body. He was about to roll them over so he could be on top of her before starting another round. However Emily had other ideas. She said as she straddled his waist, "No this time Frank, I want to be on top." And then leaned forward and captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

Frank's body responded to her and let his lovely wife have her way with him; however she wanted for the rest of the night.

Joe proved to Anne that he was as good of a dancer as she was. Even though she pulled of a few maneuvers that made the entire club stop and watch her dance. The music changed to a much slower tune. Joe put his left arm on her mid-back and another just above her tail. Anne wrapped both of her arms around Joe's neck and looked deeply into his eyes.

"You're right Anne, you dance divinely. I am having a very hard time keeping up with you," Joe said as he moved to the music.

Anne's body moved in time with Joe's. She stroked his graying hair with her right hand and said, "You are doing fine. The last time I went dancing with Chance, he was completely out of breath by the time the third song started. I ended up dancing with some dance instructor for the rest of the night while he sat there, just watching us."

Joe let a light purr escape his mouth while Anne gently stroked his hair. He loved the feeling of her hand running through his hair. "You used to date Callie's husband?" Joe asked.

"Years ago Joe, I was in love with him. However, Chance had other priorities that kept us apart. I guess he was not ready for a serious relationship," Anne said.

Joe dipped her and then said, "Well, it's his loss. Now I get to date you and I am going to love every minute we spend together." Joe leaned forward and kissed her.

Anne returned his kiss and let her hands roam up and down his upper back. She eventually pulled back from his kiss and said, "I think we should take a break."

Joe brought them back to an upright position. However, his right hand slipped further down her body and was resting comfortably on the base of her tail. He quickly realized where his hand was and moved it. "Sorry, my hand slipped Anne." Joe apologized. "May I get the most beautiful lady here tonight a glass of bubbly?"

"Certainly, I could use a drink," Anne replied.

"In that case, please return to our table while I head over to the bar and get your drink, my darling," Joe said.

Anne stroked his left cheek with her right hand and said, "Alright, I'll meet you back at our table." She then walked away intentionally swaying her hips and tail.

Joe was instantly transfixed to her hips as she moved. He let out a low wolf whistle and said, "I'm definitely dating a wild cat!" He then quickly went to the bar to place the order for the champagne.

Joe walked towards the bar and noticed that one of his friend's was working behind the bar. He was dressed in black slacks, a white shirt with a black bow tie, and a matching black vest. His hair was receding, leaving the top of his head completely bald. "Hey Andy, How have you been?" Joe asked.

Andy looked up from the glasses he was washing and joyfully replied, "Joe, It's been too long. What brings you here? I haven't seen you since.. Well, Beverly was killed."

Joe turned and leaned his back against the bar and said as he pointed towards Anne, "That is the reason I am here."

Andy leaned slightly to the right and looked past Joe. He saw who he was pointing toward and asked, "Isn't that Anne Gora; the reporter? Wow, does she look good all dolled up."

"That she does Andy; you want to know something else? I'm in love with her and she loves me. I think I might actually have fallen off the deep end again and want to spend the rest of my life with her," Joe said as he lowered his hand to his side.

Andy put his left hand on Joe's shoulder and asked, "Does she know what you do for a living? It can mean real trouble for her and you if she starts talking."

"Did for a living and yeah; she knows. I have changed, I start working in the crime lab on Monday morning," Joe answered.

"You what!?" Andy exclaimed. "Do you have any idea the trouble you are going to cause? Your ex-bosses are not going to let you go that easy. They are going to come after you and her."

"I know that; I have taken measures to make sure that she stays safe. You remember Frankie and Jeff? They are making sure that she is 100% safe when I am not with her," Joe replied.

"As much as I like Frankie and Jeff, they are not going to be enough to protect her or you if your bosses decide to persuade you to go back to your old profession, "Andy stated.

Joe turned around and faced Andy. He then said, "Good point. Let me think about that for a minute while you get a bottle of champagne for me and Anne and I don't want the cheap stuff either. I know you have a bottle or two of the real good stuff hidden somewhere."

Andy knew exactly the bottle to get and opened a trap door in the bar's floor. He climbed down the stairs, disappearing from sight.

Joe contemplated what Andy had told him and formulated a plan in his mind. He then said, "You know, that might actually work."

Andy walked up the stairs with a chilled bottle in his right hand and closed the trap door with his left. He turned to the left and walked back to the bar. Andy put the bottle on the bar in front of Joe and asked, "You know, this bottle is from the reserve stock and the cost of the bottle?"

Joe reached into his jacket and pulled out his wallet. He removed two one hundred dollar bills and handed then to Andy. He said, "That should cover it and have Charlene bring over two Shrimp cocktails please." He then leaned over the bar and said, "Call Paulie and have him assemble the 'Old Gang'. We'll meet tomorrow at his coffee shop at ten."

"Fine Joe, we'll see you tomorrow morning. Go enjoy your date," Andy said.

"Thanks Andy," Joe said and walked back towards his table and Anne.

Anne was sipping a glass of ice water when Joe arrived with the bottle of champagne. He said, "Those beautiful lips should be tasting the finest bubbly instead of water. I just happen to have such a bottle with me. Shall I pour you a glass?"

"Please do," Anne replied.

Joe removed the gold foil wrapper from the top of the green glass bottle. He twisted the cork a few times and with a loud pop, the cork came free from the bottle. Joe lifted one of the champagne flutes from the table, poured the champagne into the flute, and handed the flute to Anne.

Anne took the flute from Joe, said, "Thank you," and took a sip of the ice cold champagne. "This is amazing Joe; I have never had champagne that tasted this good."

Joe was pouring a flute for himself as he said, "Only the best for you Anne, you deserve it." He then took a sip.

Anne finished her flute of champagne, put her flute down, and said, "I'm ready to dance again."

"Already?" Joe asked. "I just sat down. Well, I guess if I am going to be dating a younger woman; I had better start hitting the gym and doing some cardio. That way I can keep up with you."

Anne stood and bent over so she could stroke his face. She then said, "Then I might need to find a younger man who can keep up with me." Anne sauntered out onto the dance floor and waited for Joe to follow her.

Joe quickly downed the remaining contents of his flute, put it down on the table, and said, "She is going to be the death of me." He watched her hips sway to the music and then said, "And I am going to enjoy that trip to heaven." He walked out to the dance floor and joined her.

They danced and drank for a few more hours, enjoying every minute they spent together. As he dipped her one more time, the leader of the band said, "I know you all are having a great time. However, it's late, time for us to stop playing and go home. Good night, it was a pleasure to play for you."

Anne kissed Joe and said, "Care to take your girlfriend home and possibly stay for the night?"

"Nothing would make me happier Anne but I am staying in the spare room. It's too early in our relationship for us to be sleeping with each other," Joe said as he led Anne back to their table. He left a hefty tip for the server, took Anne's hand in his, and led her out of the club.

They walked down the street hand in hand with Anne's head resting on Joe's shoulder. She said, "Tonight was wonderful, I haven't had so much fun in years. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome Anne. You are very light on your feet," Joe said.

They walked about another half a block, when a young man jumped out of an alley, brandished a knife, and said, "You look like you have money to burn, so I am going to take some of it from you or the pretty lady is going to taste my blade."

Joe threw Anne behind him and said, "Press the Frankie button on your phone and stay behind me Anne. I will deal with this."

"Let's go pops, I don't have all day," the young man said as he tried to attack Joe.

Joe noticed the awkward movements of the man. He quickly grabbed the man's arm, twisted it behind his back, and said, "How dare you try to mug someone! Even when I was on the wrong side of the law, I never mugged anyone. You are making your parents proud!"

"You're breaking my arm, let go," the man said.

"I'll let go, once my friends get here to take care of you," Joe said, turned his head to Anne, and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, what are you going to do to him?" she asked.

Joe turned his head back to his attacker, shoved him against a brick wall, and answered, "Me, I'm not going to do a thing to him. Frankie on the other hand is not going to be as kind as I am."

Frankie and Emily had just finished making love one more time when Frankie's phone started to vibrate on the night stand. He rolled over, looked at the screen, and said, "Crap! I have to go honey. Either Anne or Joe are in trouble and need me and Jeff." Frankie quickly pulled his clothes on his body, kissed his wife, and said, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't go anywhere, the night is still young and I plan on spending the rest of the night pleasing my beautiful wife." He then left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Jeff, Sapphire, and Crystal were eating their dinner and every once in a while, one of the girls would stop eating long enough to tease Jeff about liking Violet and being chicken for not asking her out. That was when Jeff's phone vibrated in his pants pocket. Jeff put his knife down, wiped his hands, and reached into his pocket to get the phone. Once it was out of his pocket and could see the screen, he studied the map and the tiny red 'X' indicating where Anne and Joe were in the city. "Of all the rotten luck! I have to go," Jeff said and threw a few large bills onto the table to pay for the dinner. He then said, "Tell Violet.."

"Tell Violet what?" Violet asked with her hands on her hips.

Between the light twinkling in Violet's eyes and the way her body looked in the dim light, Jeff could not help himself. He went to her, kissed her cheek, and said, "When I am done helping a friend, I'll come back and take you for an early breakfast." Jeff then ran out of the pub leaving Violet standing there stunned.

"Did he just ask me out?" Violet asked as she rubbed her cheek where he kissed her.

"I think so Violet, what do you think of him?" Sapphire asked.

"I think he has potential and he seems sweet. What 's his story and don't spare the details," Violet asked.

After about twenty minutes, both Frankie and Jeff walked down the alley and saw Joe holding a young man who wasn't much older than a teenager against a wall. Frankie asked, "You both ok?"

"We are fine Frankie. This little punk thought he could make an easy score with us. He was wrong. Take him to the safe house and hold him there. I'll be by later after I make sure Anne gets home; nice and safe," Joe said.

The young man turned his head enough to see a tall man who was very muscular and another who was a little shorter but still pretty well built. He said, "No way am I going with these two! I won't be seen again!"

Jeff heard the nervousness in the kid's voice and said, "You will be seen again, maybe not in one piece but you will be seen again." He then cracked his knuckles.

Frankie caught onto Jeff's act and said, "No, this kid needs to be made an example of. Maybe a trip to the East River is in order."

"I can't swim," the man said.

"You don't need to. Lets go kid," Frankie said as he took the young man away.

Anne watched the entire interaction in silence. She really didn't know what Frankie and Jeff were going to do with the young man. She went over to Joe who was inspecting his suit and asked, "What is going to happen to him?"

"Absolutely nothing, except a real good scaring Anne," Joe replied. "Today's youth needs to be taught a lesson that crime does not pay and the Enforcers can't teach it. Now Frankie and Jeff are the perfect pair to give that lesson. Let's get you home and secured in your apartment before I go and over see that lesson."


	7. Anne's Chance at Love CH6

**Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.**

 **I really should copy the disclaimer so I don't heave to write it every time.**

Joe pulled up to Anne's building and parked right in front of the entrance doors. He put the car in park, leaned across the seats, and kissed her. Joe pulled back after a minute and said, "I'll be back soon after I deal with that youngster. I promise, nothing will happen to him. Although by the time we are done he might need a new pair of shorts."

Anne caressed his cheek while saying, "Please don't do anything rash. He seems like a kid that was dealt a bad hand."

Joe took her hand from his cheek and kissed it. As he held her hand in his, he said. "Don't worry that pretty head of yours Anne. He will be fine and hopefully learn that a life of crime is no life at all. Please head inside and stay there. If you want, you can wait with Emily. She is staying right across the hall from your apartment."

"Alright Joe, please be careful," Anne said as she got out of the car.

"I plan on it," Joe said and waited for Anne to safely enter her building before he put the car back in gear and headed off to the safe house.

Frankie and Jeff pulled the kid from the back seat of Frankie's car and carried him into the safe house. The kid was then sat into a metal chair and had his arms and legs secured to the chair with nylon zip ties.

"What are you two going to do to me?" the kid asked.

Frankie had pulled up another chair from a dark corner of the room and sat in front of the kid. He looked directly into the scared kid's eyes and asked, "You've heard of Scared Straight before? Well, welcome to our version of that program. Don't worry; you won't be harmed, too much."

Jeff wheeled a small metal cart over to the kid and then leaned against a post. "Once the boss gets here, your lessons are going to start. Depending on how well you learn, the less painful these lessons are going to be. Face it kid, you picked the wrong mark tonight."

Joe arrived at the safe house a few minutes later, shut off the car, and got out. He quickly went to the front door, looked around to make sure that no one was watching him, and entered the house. Joe walked across the empty floors of the house and into the bare dining room where the kid was tied up. He took of his hat as he entered the room and asked, "Do you know why you are here?"

"I attempted to steal from you and that hot lady you had on your arm," the kid said.

Joe scowled and walked over to the kid. As Joe kicked the chair over he yelled, "Don't you ever talk about a woman like that again! Women are to be treated with respect at all times and are not to be called; hot! Do you understand?"

The kid's face winced as the chair hit the ground and Joe was yelling at him. When the yelling stopped, he asked, "What does it matter to you how I talk about a piece of tail?

Joe was getting angry with this kid's attitude towards women. However he promised Anne that he would hold himself in check and not harm this kid. Only scare the crap out of him so he forgets his life of crime and lives on the right side of the law. Joe crouched down to the kid's level and stared directly into his face. He then asked, "How would you mother feel if she knew you were talking about another woman like that?"

"I wouldn't know she skipped town when I was four. I haven't seen her since," the kid spat back.

Joe stood up and said, "Help this kid up Frankie."

Frankie went over to the knocked over chair with the kid still attached and up righted the chair with one hand.

Joe pulled over another chair, placed the chair with its back facing the kid, and sat down straddling the back of the chair. He rested his crossed arm on the back of the chair and said, "Sorry about that kid." He then asked, "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm eighteen," the kid responded.

"So you know that you are old enough to go to jail for what you tried to pull tonight?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, I know I could go back to the big house. At least I would have three squares and a place to sleep. Not that bad of a life, been there, done that," the kid responded.

"I gather you've been to jail before then?" Joe asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

"Juvie," the kid answered.

Joe stood up and went to the other end of the room. He faced the wall, crossed his arms and said, "Let me tell you, jail is not juvenile detention. There are guys in jail that want nothing more than to find a nice, young, man, such as yourself to be with. Plus there are others that will want to kill you for that attitude of yours. Sure, TV makes jail seems so nice and fun. Well it's not! Jail is the one place that a young kid does not want to be in period. There is nothing there that anyone should want. This is what jail is really like kid, so you had better listen and listen well." Joe started walking from one end of the room to the other, slowing pacing back and forth as he said, "The first thing that happens when you get there is you are strip searched, completely. There is no room to be modest or shy about anything, and if you refuse to comply, not only to they hit you with their batons; they will strip you naked anyway and search every cavity of your body for contraband. After that, you are given clothing and sent to your cell which if you are lucky doesn't contain a serial rapist or some other degenerate. And if you are really lucky, you will have an eight by ten cell to yourself. You realize that you are in a very bad situation the first time you hear the door close behind you and lock. You go over to the door expecting to open, and when it doesn't, your heart sinks. You look around at your new home of three concrete walls, a single window compete with iron bars, and the fourth wall of vertical iron bars or if you happen to get a modern cell, another concrete wall with a steel door. You expect some sort of privacy while you are in your cell, forget it! There is this tiny dark plastic dome in the ceiling watching you every move. You might find a prison gang to hook up with and you start to feel safe, then another prison gang member stabs you in the gut with a shank and leaves you to bleed out. Now if you are seen, you might end up in the prison's hospital and get patched up, if not; you're dead and no one will care. That is what jail is really like." He stopped pacing and walked directly in front of the kid and asked, "Is that what you want? To either be an older man's boy toy or wind up dead?"

"No, that is not what I want," the kid replied.

"Then why are you mugging and stealing from others if that isn't what you want?" Joe asked.

"I need to eat and keep a roof over my head. I dropped out of high school when my pops got locked up again and I never went back. No one wants to hire a drop out who has no experience in anything, so I started going after easy marks so I could put some food on the table," the kid replied.

"What is your name kid?" Joe asked.

"It's Vince."

"What did you want to do or like to do while you were in school Vince?" Joe asked.

"I used to play with cameras and I pretty good at using them. My teacher thought I should become a photographer or a camera man when I graduated. Then my old man had to screw up and that was the end of that," Vince answered.

"Jeff, give Vince a drink then join me and Frankie in the other room, "Joe said. Both he and Frankie went into the living room and closed the door behind them.

Jeff went to the cooler, pulled out a bottle of water and a straw, opened the bottle, and put it on the cart. He wheeled the cart in front of Vince and said, "Drink up, this might be the last thing you ever have." He then went and joined Frankie and Joe in the other room.

As Jeff entered the living room, both Frankie and Joe shot him a very angry look.

"What? You wanted to scare the kid, well that is what I am doing," Jeff asked.

"We wanted to scare the kid out of the crime life, not make him think we are going to kill him and dump his body somewhere," Frankie said.

"Sorry, can we pick this up? I have a breakfast date that I would prefer not to miss," Jeff said.

"So Crystal finally set you up with Violet?" Frankie asked. He chuckled and continued with, "It's about time. She will be very good for you Jeff."

"You knew about her already Frankie? Remind me not to come around your house anymore. Between your daughters and now you, I feel like me love life is just a game to all of you, "Jeff said. He turned to Joe and asked, "Did you know about Violet too?"

Joe snickered at Jeff's response but he was happy that Jeff is going to finally put him out there and date. He responded, "No, I didn't know about Violet. However, I trust Crystal and Sapphire and if they think Violet will be good for you, and then I'm going to endorse them. Now here is what I want to do with Vince, I'm going to call the judge and have Vince enrolled in a GED program. While he is attending school, he is going to work for me cleaning up the crime lab. Finally, when he thinks he can't work anymore, he is going to be working over at Kats Eye News as a camera man for Anne. That way he can keep an eye on her while she is at work."

"And if he doesn't cooperate and tries to steal something from one of the trucks as an easy fence?" Frankie asked.

"Then I take him personally to jail. The kid deserves a second shot because the first one sucked, agreed?" Joe asked.

Both Frankie and Jeff looked at each other briefly and then turned their heads back to Joe. They both simultaneously answered, "Agreed."

"Good, let's go and give Vince the good news and then Jeff can see if he can reel Violet in and make her his," Joe said.

The elevator stopped at her floor and the doors opened. Anne stepped out of the car and walked towards her apartment's door but before she inserted her key into the lock, she turned her head towards the apartment located on the other side of the hall. Anne put her keys away and went to the other door. She knocked on the door and waited for Emily to open the door.

Emily was drinking a cup of tea in the kitchen while she waited for Frankie to return. She was taking a sip of the piping hot liquid when she heard a knock on the door. Not expecting anyone, she slowly slid off of the stood she was sitting on, grabbed a small kitchen knife, and walked to the door. She arrived at the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Anne, can I come in? I.. I don't want to be alone right now."

Emily replied, "Sure, give me a second." She put the knife away, cinched her robe tighter, and went back to the door. Emily opened the door and saw Anne in her dress not looking like a woman who has found love, but a woman who was scared. She said, "Come on in. I just finished boiling some water for tea, would you like a cup?" She gestured for Anne to enter the apartment.

Anne entered then Emily closed and locked the door behind her.

Anne went over to the counter where Emily was sitting and sat on a stool across from her. She then replied as she looked over Emily's small body, "Sure, I could use a cup of tea to relax me."

"I have just the thing. This blend always relaxes me and Frankie," Emily said and went to work getting the tea for Anne.

Anne watched as the smaller woman quickly poured another cup of hot water from the kettle into another mug and then grabbed a tea bag from her bag sitting on the counter. Emily brought the mug of tea over to Anne and said, "Here you go, let the tea steep for about three minutes and drink it while it's nice and hot."

Anne took the mug from her and set it on the counter in order to let it steep. She then asked, "Joe already told me how you and Frankie met and from meeting you just now, I still can't believe it. Can you tell the story again, this time in your words?"

Emily giggled like a school girl for a second and then replied, "You want to hear that old tale again? Well, alright. I was going to the final debate of the year. My debate team was going up against the school's second best debate team for bragging rights. I was wearing a simple dress and a pair of high heels so I could be seen. As you noticed by now, I'm not the tallest of women. Even though my debating skills were second to none, my physical size did nothing to help me intimidate my opponents."

Emily took a sip of her tea before she continued telling her side of the story, "I walked out on stage and saw the opposing team we were supposed to debate against. Most of them were these scrawny men and women but at the end of their table stood this mountain of muscle that was dressed in a tailored suit that hugged every one of his curves. I thought that he must be a brother to one of the other debaters or something. There was no way he was on the debate team. Well, I was wrong. He took his position behind the table and sat down. I took my position on the opposite side of the stage and tried my best to size this guy up. I guess he felt me boring a hole into him with my eyes as I studied him, because the next thing I knew, he was looking directly into my eyes." Emily paused long enough to take a sip of her tea.

"So, it was infatuation at first sight?" Anne asked after she took a sip of her tea and her tail swished back and forth.

"I'm getting there Anne and yes, I was um.. intrigued by him. The debate started and the first question was asked. The opposing team stated their argument but we rebutted with our argument better. We won the first round. The second question was given to us and we stated our argument and thought it could not be refuted. We were wrong, Mr. Muscle opened his mouth and the most compelling rebuttal came out, they one that round. I quickly scanned my program and learned that the man's name was Francis and he was given a full scholarship to the school based on academics alone. I instantly turned back to the man-mountain and gave him a good looking over. Apparently he had the same idea, our stares met and our eyes locked into each other's and never left. The final item to be debated was a very forefront topic that the school couldn't figure out what to do about. It seems a fraternity wanted to open a chapter on campus. That fraternity was exclusively for men and women who were kids of interracial parents. My team was to debate against the charter while Francis' team was to debate in favor for the charter. A coin was flipped to see which side would present the opening argument. Francis' side won the coin toss. They huddled together and made a unanimous decision that Francis will debate this by himself. My team had come to the same conclusion and I was to solely debate this topic against Francis. We each took our positions and the debate started. Francis opened with a very compelling argument that I had a very difficult time coming up with a rebuttal. One of the reasons was I wasn't against the charter at all. I have classes with some of those students and they are the smartest and nicest cats you would ever meet and the second was Francis himself. Between the argument he made and his deep voice, I couldn't concentrate. I eventually came up with a decent rebuttal to his argument. That was when the gloves came off on both sides. Francis narrowed his eyes and looked directly into mine again and during his second argument, back-handedly accused me of being slightly racist." Emily took another sip of her tea and said, "This needs something." She got off of her stool, went to her bag, and pulled out a bottle of alcohol. "This will do the trick, care for some Anne?"

"Why not? This story is getting good," Anne replied.

Emily came back to the counter, sat back down, and poured a generous amount of the bottle's contents into the tea. She took a sip and said, "Much better. Now where was I. Oh yes! I didn't take kindly to being called a racist in anyway shape or form. So I made a snappy reply to his argument and I could see the sparks flying in his eyes. I definitely hit a nerve with my response. Francis got out of his seat and stood right in front of me. He looked down at me and I had to crane my neck to look back up at him. Francis then said something along the lines of, 'What would a cute princess know about stuff like this?'

"Well, that set the tone for the rest of the debate. I grabbed my chair, stood on it so I could be at the same level as he was, and spat back, 'Lots of my fellow students are interracial and are some of the most intelligent cats I know. They deserve this chapter, so I agree with you, you muscle bound jerk!' Apparently Francis had enough of a tiny little woman pissing him off. He grabbed me around the waist and carried me off stage while saying, 'We need to talk Miss Emily.' He carried me back stage and when a few stage hands tried to help me, he growled, "Get away from us. Now!" They scattered faster than I have ever seen anyone. So it was just me and Francis and I could tell he was madder than hell."

Emily went to take a sip of her tea again and found the mug empty. She grabbed the bottle and took a swig, then put it down. She continued with, "I then said, 'So what are you going to do to me? Beat me up? Bring me somewhere I will never be seen again?' Francis replied, 'I have never had such a tiny woman get under my skin before. I heard about you before I came to this debate and couldn't believe what my team mates told me. I had to see for myself. Now that I have; I don't know whether to strangle you or kiss you senseless and take you back to my apartment so we can be alone for the rest of the night.' I replied, 'Well let me make it a very easy decision for you Francis!' I leaped forward and instead of punching him, I kissed him and wrapped my legs around his mid-section. He returned my kiss with vigor and felt so much raw emotion behind his kiss that I never felt before when I kissed another man. That was when Joe showed up back stage and saw us. Francis and I dated exclusively for a few months and then married. We have been together ever since."

Anne finished her tea and said, "Wow! That is definitely a much different version than what Joe told me earlier. He thought Frankie was going to kill you."

Emily took another swig from the bottle and then said, "Frankie has done plenty of things he is not proud of in the past. However, he would never hurt a woman, period. His father would kill him faster than he could speak if he did. You thought Frankie was large? You should have seen his father that was a man you didn't want to cross." Emily turned to face Anne and asked, "So, what is the deal with you and Joe? The last time I saw him acting this way was when he was dating Beverly. You have him acting like a love struck kitten again. Do you feel the same way about him?"

"Yes I do Emily. I didn't think I did until we had a sketch of us done this afternoon in the park. If you look into our eyes in that sketch, the only thing you see is the love we have for each other pouring off of the page." Anne replied.

"Good. Joe is a good man. He deserves to have someone to love again," Emily said and took another swig from the bottle.

Anne watched as Emily slowly emptied the bottle by herself. She then said, "He is a good guy Emily. Although I still don't quite understand why he felt he had to work for his ex-bosses. Couldn't he go to the Enforcers and show them the letters? Surely they would have investigated his claim?"

Emily put the bottle down and took Anne's hands in hers. She answered, "Not when they are very well connected. All it would have taken is one word from the wrong mouth to another and Joe would have disappeared, never to be seen again." Emily let go of Anne's hands, patted her shoulder, and said, "Besides, if he didn't work for his ex-bosses, Frankie and I wouldn't have met and you would have never met Joe. Then what? You would never know what it's like to have a man show you love un-conditionally. Face it Anne, within a few short months, I wouldn't be surprised for him to give you a ring."

"I think you have been drinking too much of this Emily," Anne said as she tried to take the bottle away. "We have been on one real date and look how that turned out."

Emily wrenched the bottle back out of Anne's hands and said, "Yes, your first date didn't turn out as magical as you would have hoped. However, knowing Joe, there will plenty of other dates he is planning on taking you on that will be. From what Frankie has told me. Joe has changed for the better and you are the reason for that change." Emily put the bottle down and then asked, "If you don't mind me getting a little personal, were you planning on sleeping with him tonight?

Anne wanted to answer Emily's question but her relationships were something that she hardly ever discussed with her best friends, never less someone she had just met. However, she had already asked Joe if he would spend the night with her and he said he would as long as he stayed in the spare room. So technically, she would be lying to Emily if she told her no and she didn't want to do that. Anne narrowed her eyes and replied, "I did ask him to stay with me and he agreed to as long as we were in separate rooms."

Emily put both of her hands on her hips and asked, "Separate rooms huh? For all of the years that I have known Joe, he had never told a woman that he wouldn't sleep with her, even if they only had one date. You must be something special for him to say that."

Anne wasn't expecting to hear that Joe had slept with every woman that asked him to. She didn't want to be another notch on his bed post, she wanted Joe to possibly be the man she could cuddle up with at night and shower with love. Anne said, "I'm not anything special Emily. I guess Joe wants to take the physical side of our relationship slower than he is used to."

"That's a possibility Anne," Emily said just before she took a drink from the bottle. However, she looked at the bottle and put it down without taking the drink. Emily then said, "Look, Joe is obviously and completely in love with you. You two make the perfect couple so don't mess this up; for either of you, alright?"

"I wasn't planning on messing this up Emily. What do you say we get you into bed so you can sleep off all of that alcohol that you consumed? Frankie should be back soon and you want to be ready for him right?" Anne asked.

Emily got out of her chair, stumbled a bit, and answered, "I think you are right, I need to sleep this off. Can you help me to the bedroom? I don't think I can walk."

Sure Emily, let's get you into bed, "Anne said as she walked over to Emily and helped her towards the bedroom.

"Alright Vince, here is what is going to happen and you are not going to like it," Frankie said.

"What..what are you going to me?" Vince asked.

"Give you your life back, starting Monday morining, you are to report to Enforcer headquarters at 7:30AM sharp," Joe said.

"What the hell! You are turning me in?" Vince asked.

"Only if you screw up, you are going to be working for me, cleaning up the Crime Lab. Then after I talk to the judge and clear it with him, you are going back to high school and get your GED," Joe said.

"No way! Why would I go back to school?" Vince asked.'

"So you can go and be a cameraman for my girlfriend and actually EARN your money," Joe answered.

"Your girlfriend?" Vince asked. "Oh, you mean that lady with the legs that went on forever?"

Joe went over to Vince and punched him. He then yelled, "What did I tell you about how to treat a woman? Are you that dense? Don't you want a woman for your own? Keep acting like a street thug and you won't, ever!"

"Kid, you really don't know when to shut up and listen. Consider yourself lucky, if this happened a few weeks ago, you wouldn't be talking anymore, or at least not walking properly, "Jeff said.

Vince turned his head back to Joe and asked, "What the hell are you guys, old gangsters or something? This night is playing out like an old mob movie."

"Close, we _were_ gangsters in the past. Now we are law abiding citizens," Frankie said.

"You call kidnapping law abiding? You guys still act like you are mobbed up," Vince said.

"Technically, only two of us were ever mobbed up. I'm just a contractor who is called when needed. Kid, this is your final chance to stay out of the big house. I suggest that you listen carefully to what the boss man is telling you," Jeff said.

"So, you expect me to work for the Enforcers in the Crime lab doing who know what, go back to high school and graduate, plus work for Kats Eye News? When do I have a social life?" Vince asked.

"By the time you are done for the day, you are going to be too tired to have one, "Joe said and then continued with, "You still didn't answer my questions and I want an answer."

"I'm only eighteen. I'm too young to be thinking about settling down with one woman. I want to date quite a few girls before thinking about that stuff," Vince said.

"You say that now Vince but wait until you find that right girl, then you are going to change your mind and want to be with her constantly," Joe said. He turned to Jeff and said, "Do it."

Jeff walked over to his bag, pulled out a syringe, and went over to Vince. He then said, "This won't hurt a bit." Jeff touched the needle to Vince's arm and injected him.

"Ow! What did you shoot me up with?" Vince asked.

"Nothing that is going to hurt you, just a simple tracker so we know where you are at all times. That little bug can be found by my phone anywhere in the world. So if you don't show up at 7:30 on Monday, Frankie over there will know exactly where to find you," Jeff said.

"You know the rules of our arrangement Vince go home and rest. For Monday morning your life is ending as you know it. Cut him loose Frankie," Joe said and he then left the room, putting on his hat before he walked out of the door.

Frankie went over to Vince, pulled out a large knife that was strapped to his right calf, and cut the nylon ties holding Vince to the chair. He then said, "Get out of here, and no cops!"

Vince didn't need to be told twice, he ran out of the room and out of the house.

Frankie and Jeff watched Vince sprint out of the room. Once he was out of sight, Jeff asked, "You think he will show up?"

"He'd better, I really don't want to go find him and haul his scrawny butt to jail. I've got three daughters to drop off early on Monday. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get my girls out of bed on a weekday morning, especially Sapphire? I thought I slept soundly, trying to wake her is like trying to wake up a log," Frankie said. He turned his head to Jeff and asked, "Don't you have a breakfast date with Violet you have to get to?"

Jeff quickly glanced at his watch and said, "Damn, I hope she is still at the bar. I like her, a lot."

"Knowing my daughters, she will still be there. Come on, I'll give you a lift," Frankie said as he put his arm around Jeff's shoulders.

Joe parked his car in the lot under Anne's building. He got out of the car, entered the building, and pushed the elevator call button. The elevator arrived and the doors opened. Joe stepped out of the way to let the others out of the elevator before he got in. The doors closed and Joe pushed the button for Anne's floor. The doors opened revealing the hallway that led to her apartment; he got out of the elevator; and walked to her door. Joe pulled out his cell phone and with a few swipes of his finger across the screen, the door opened for him and he entered her apartment. Joe turned around, closed and locked the door behind him before he went to the hall that led to the bedrooms. He stopped at the door for the spare bedroom and was about to open it. But instead, he went to the door that led to Anne's room. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside. He saw the back of Anne's head and the slow rising and falling of the blankets covering her moving as she breathed. Satisfied that she was safe, he closed the door and returned to the spare bedroom.

Anne heard Joe open her door and then close it again. She listened for the telltale sounds of the spare bedroom's door opening and closing before she got out of her bed, threw a robe on, and left her bedroom. She waited outside his bedroom for a few minutes to make sure he was in bed before she opened the door and entered. Anne closed the door slowly so she didn't disturb Joe and went over to the opposite side of the bed. Before she lost the courage to finish what she started, Anne removed her robe and slipped under the covers.

Joe felt a pair of breasts push against his bare back and an arm drape across his chest. He playfully asked, "What do you think you are doing Anne?"

"I want to know what it feels like to wake up with the man I fell in love with, so I am sleeping with you," Anne responded while she pulled herself tighter against him, feeling his warmth heat her body.

Joe turned himself around so he could face her. He stroked her hair and said, "I thought I said I wasn't ready to sleep with you."

"Hmm, you did. However, I am ready to sleep with you. Go to sleep Joe, we both have had a long day," Anne said and then kissed him.

Joe returned her kiss and then rested his head on the pillow and fell asleep.

Anne watched him sleep for a minute before sleep claimed her too and she closed her eyes.


	8. Anne's Chance at Love CH7

Jeff made it back to the bar just in time to witness the light being turned off. His heart sank since he never got the chance to take Violet out for that early breakfast he promised her. When out of the corner of his eye, he saw Violet slipping a leather jacket onto her body. He ran to her and when he was close enough for her to hear, he called out to her.

Violet stopped, turned around and noticed Jeff running up to her. She rested her hands on her cocked hips and said, "You almost missed your shot with me. What happened that was so important that made you run off like that?"

Jeff caught up with her, placed his hands on his knees, and breathed heavily for a few seconds before he looked up into her face and replied, "I had to help a friend take care of something." He righted himself and took one of her hands in his. "I'm sorry I ran out on you Violet but my friends are the only family that I have and I would do anything for them. I hope you understand."

Violet never had a man act like this around her, especially being bold enough to take her hand into his when she was obviously pissed. She looked into his hazel eyes and saw he was truly sorry for running out on her and asked, "I'll give you another shot Jeff but what are you going to do to make it up to me?"

Jeff smirked and replied, "First off, we are going to have that breakfast I promised and second, if you don't have an early class, there is this special place down by the docks where you can watch the sun rise up over the ocean. I find it breathtaking. Care to watch the sun rise with me?"

Violet was now impressed with him. This is the first time that a man asked her to watch the sun rise from a place that was not his bedroom. She thought, 'This guy might be a keeper. I definitely need to get to know him better first though before I do something foolish.' She then answered, "Alright, breakfast first and since I don't have class today, we can go and watch the sun rise."

"Great!" Jeff said as he removed his hands from hers. "I have my friend's car parked around the corner and I have the perfect spot in mind for our breakfast. There is a little coffee shop not that far from here that serves some of the best flapjacks around. Come on Violet, we have a date with some syrup and some coffee."

They drove across town and pulled into a parking lot across from this tiny little coffee shop centered between two department stores. Jeff parked the car, shut it off, and got out. He ran around to the passenger's side of the car and opened the door for Violet. He extended his arm and asked, "May I help a pretty lady out of the car?"

Violet turned her head towards Jeff, stretched her right arm out of the car so he could take it, and once he had a firm grip on her wrist, she got out of the car.

Jeff helped Violet out of the car but pulled her a little too hard. She collided with his body and instinctively he put an arm around her waist, holding her tight. They both blushed when they realized their lips were mere inches from each other's. He let her go, ran the hand that was previously around her waist through his hair, and said, "Sorry Violet. I guess I don't know my own strength."

Violet also turned away from him so he could not see her blush as she thought, 'What is wrong with me? I'm supposed to be a strong and independent woman and not be blushing like a school girl because a man has his arms around me.'

Jeff put his arm down, turned back to Violet and noticed she was not acting like the confident woman that he was introduced too. He brought himself closer to her, ran a few fingers through her hair, and asked, "Are you alright Violet? Did I do something wrong?"

Violet quickly got herself together and replied, "No Jeff, you didn't' do anything wrong." She started to turn away from him when she continued, "I think that maybe this is a bad idea. I'll see you around."

Jeff's heart dropped when she said that and reacted by grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him. He looked directly into Violet's eyes and asked, "Now I know something is up Violet. You are not acting like the woman I met back at the bar and I want to know what is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong Jeff and that is the problem," Violet replied and ripped her arm back from him. She then continued with, "I have been in countless relationships with men who I felt nothing from. Now here I am going to get breakfast and watch the sun rise with someone who I just met a few hours ago and is making me feel very good, especially when you hold me in your arms. I want to know, what is so special about you that is making me feel like this?"

Jeff just let his heart respond to her question without letting his brain filter what his heart felt. "Violet, do you think you are the only one who really likes what they are feeling? I'm sure that Sapphire and Crystal have told you that I am normally very shy around women, especially beautiful women which you definitely are. Violet, you are the very first woman I have actually had the courage to ask out and actually follow through with that date. A few hours ago when I was with my friends, the only thing that I wanted to do is get back to the bar so I could talk to you again. So I have to ask you Violet, what is so extraordinary about you that has made me, a man who couldn't normally even talk to a woman want to run as fast as possible to be with you?"

Violet was not sure how to respond to his answer. She responded, "I don't know Jeff! I'm a simple college student who waitresses at night at a seedy bar to pay her bills and having a double major is not helping with those bills either. I am going to have student loans that I am going to have to pay back until the end of time at the rate I'm racking up my dept. My only hope is a knight, a very rich one at that in shining armor comes to my rescue and takes those bills away or I land a job at a Bio-Tech firm. So Jeff, there is nothing extraordinary" she emphasized that word with her fingers and continued with her tirade, "about me."

Jeff just listened to her and smiled. He then said, "There's the Violet that I knew. Come on, the flapjacks and the sun rise is not going to wait for us." He extended his elbow for her to slip her arm through and waited for her response.

Violet slowly walked over to him, slipped her arm though his, and turned her head to face him.

Jeff cinched his arm back pulling her to him and then said, "That is much better. I kind of like having you close to me Violet. I don't know why I feel this way about you; but one day I'll find out. Then you will not be able to get rid of me."

She leaned her head on his broad shoulder, grasped his arm tighter, and said, "Good because if you tried to get away, I would hunt you down Jeff. I..kind of like having you close too."

They walked over to the coffee shop and Jeff opened the door for Violet to enter, which she did and he followed her into the shop. He closed the door behind him and led her to a table. Jeff pulled out a chair for Violet to sit in but instead of her taking the seat he offered her, she pulled out her own chair and sat down. Jeff chuckled at her actions and took the seat that he offered her.

Paulie was finishing setting up the kitchen for the morning rush when he heard the sounds of chairs being pulled across his wood floor. He wiped his hands with the towel he wore in his belt and left the kitchen to find out who was in the shop at this hour of the morning. As he crossed the threshold of the kitchen, he saw Jeff sitting at a table with a woman he didn't know but from the looks of them, he quickly determined that Jeff actually managed to get a girl to go out with him. He grabbed two menus from the counter and walked over to them. As he arrived at the table, he said, "Welcome to Paulie's miss." He turned to Jeff and said, "You don't need to be welcomed since you are here every morning Jeff, now who is this pretty lady you brought with you?"

"Paulie, meet Violet. Violet, meet Paulie, one of the best cooks you are ever going to meet," Jeff replied.

Paulie extended his right hand to Violet and said, "Nice to meet you Violet. So, you actually managed to get this kitten out on a date? Good work! He needed to be kicked out of his shell."

Violet laughed at that and said, "Really? Kitten? I knew he was timid around women but I wouldn't describe him as a kitten. Maybe a love sick cub that needs a little more courage,"

Both Violet and Paulie started to laugh again as Jeff scowled. After a few seconds of them laughing, he said, "Now that you two have had your fun, can we get some coffee please Paulie?"

Paulie snickered and replied, "Don't get your shorts in a bind Jeff. The lady and I were only teasing you." He turned his head to face Violet Violet and said, "Please look over the menu and order whatever you want. I already know what Jeff wants since he is here most mornings." He then turned and walked back towards the counter to get their beverages.

As he was pouring the coffee, the phone rang. Paulie put the pot back on the burner and went to the other end of the counter to answer the phone. He picked up the receiver and answered, "Paulie's, can I help you?"

"Paulie, its Andy."

"Hey Andy, long time no speak. Jeff is here and he actually has a lady friend with him," Paulie said.

"Damn, it's about time that boy managed to get a date. Listen, Joe has requested that the gang gets back together. He has turned over a new leaf and has gone straight. You will never guess the reason though," Andy said.

"Joe has gone straight after all of this time? What could have caused him to leave the family?" Paulie asked.

"Not what, but who. He was at the club tonight with that reporter Anne Gora from Kats Eye News on his arm and from what I saw, things are about to get serious with them. Joe wants the gang to watch over her and protect her from the family when he is not around. You know how protective he is and he doesn't trust anyone but us to keep her safe," Andy replied.

"He is dating Anne Gora? Does he have any idea what would happen if she opens her mouth to the wrong person? Andy, I'm torn about this, it's not that I don't want Joe to be happy again, but him dating a reporter makes things very difficult not to mention dangerous."

"You ain't kidding Paulie. However, seeing him with a smile on his face is worth it. Joe thinks he is in love again and it's about time. You know he has been a broken man ever since his wife and child were killed. So if him dating a reporter gets him back in the swing of things and living life again instead of just living, I'm going to help him in any way I can," Andy said.

Paulie shook his head and then asked, "Why am I still friends with you guys? Even though this is going to get one of us killed, I'm in. When is this meeting going to happen?"

"Today, ten AM, your place," Andy replied.

"Alright, I'll find a way to get this place cleared out before then. I'll let Jeff know since he is here now. You know he is going to want to be a part of this," Paulie said.

"Good, I'll see you later this morning," Andy said and disconnected the call.

Paulie hung up the phone and went back to getting the coffee for Jeff and Violet. As he poured, he said, "What type of mess has Joe gotten himself into?" He then put the pot back on the burner and brought the two mugs of coffee out to Violet and Jeff.

"What do you feel like eating Violet? I can guarantee anything on the menu is going to be great," Jeff said.

Violet could not decide what to eat at the moment, everything on the menu looked good to her and she could not decide on just one item. She eventually folded the menu and put it down on the table before she said, "Surprise me. Despite my figure, I eat a lot."

"Surprise you huh?" Jeff asked. "Ok, how about the waffles with a side of tuna sausage and if you are still hungry after that, I'll give you some of mine?"

Violet's mouth started to water when she heard Jeff's suggestion. She answered, "Sounds good. I hope it is as good as my mother makes them. I haven't had a good tuna sausage in years."

"Trust me, this will be one of the best things you have ever eaten, "Jeff said as he reached across the table and took her hand in his.

Paulie arrived with the coffee and noticed Jeff's hand holding Violet's and she didn't seem to mind at all. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there and then he said as he served the two mugs of coffee, "Here you go, this is my special blend, I hope you like it miss. Now, what can I get you?"

"The lady will like an order of the waffles and the tuna sausage and I'll have my usual Paulie," Jeff said.

"Alright, I'll bring that right out. Jeff, can you give me a hand with the POS you installed? One of the terminals is glitching," Paulie asked.

Jeff let go of her hand, pushed the chair back, and stood up as he said, "Sure Paulie." He turned his attention to Violet and then said, "I'll be right back. This won't take too long." He followed Paulie into the kitchen.

Once the kitchen door closed and Violet was out of ear shot, Paulie said, "There is nothing wrong with the POS system. I needed to get you away from Violet to let you know about a meeting this morning here at ten."

"What is this meeting about Paulie?" Jeff asked.

"Protecting Joe's new lady. He's nervous about leaving her alone for any length of time and he doesn't trust the Enforcers to protect her. Joe wants the gang to watch over her and do what is necessary to keep her safe," Paulie responded.

"I have already wired her place with the best stuff I can get my hands on. I'll be there as long as my date lets me go. If you couldn't tell, I kind of like her," Jeff said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Kid, you would have to be blind not to see that and from what I have observed, she likes you. Don't screw this up Jeff. You deserve to find someone and it looks like Violet is that someone," Paulie said.

"I'm not planning on screwing this up Paulie. I have never felt this way about a woman before and I don't want this feeling to go away. So if you will let me get back to her, I might get her phone number so I can call her and ask her for another date!" Jeff said.

"Go and good luck Jeff. She seems like the type of woman that will be good for you," Paulie said.

"And what type of woman would that be Paulie?" Jeff asked.

"The smart and beautiful type with a wild streak in her a mile wide," Paulie answered before he turned to the griddle and the waffle iron to get their order started.

Jeff left the kitchen and returned to the table with the waiting Violet. She asked as he took his seat, " How's the POS system? Did you manage fix it for Paulie?"

Jeff replied as he put his napkin in his lap, "Yes, as I said before it would be an easy fix." He took a sip of his coffee then asked, "You probably know more about me than I care to know from Sapphire and Crystal but I don't know much about you, why the double major?"

"That's an easy answer Jeff, I have always been good with numbers so dealing with all of the formulas needed in chemistry came very easy to me, "Violet replied and took a sip of her coffee. "This is good. I can't even make a cup this good with my coffee maker that I built myself. Anyway, I had to take biology for my first semester as a science since chemistry was closed. Something clicked when we started going through the anatomy section and I started asking questions to my professors about the chemical properties of the body and how things worked on a chemical level. They were impressed and took me under their wings. I learned more about the body that first semester than I ever learned before. With a little guidance, I wrote a thesis on how to grow limbs back that have been amputated or disfigured to due to an accident." She took another sip of her coffee and continued, "After the semester was completed, I talked to my professors and they convinced me to continue on with my biological studies as well as taking advanced chemistry. The dean almost had a fit when a small army of professors came into his office and demanded that I be released from the Liberal Arts requirement so I could focus on the sciences as well as the math needed. She reluctantly agreed as long as I kept my GPA above 3.5 at all times."

"That is amazing Violet! I knew you were smart but I had no idea that anyone could even think about growing a new limb. I would like to read that paper sometime, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all, I'll give you a copy later after we see this sun rise. Crystal mentioned that you are a whiz with electronics. You don't look like the type of person to be sitting behind a bench all day with a soldering iron," Violet said.

"I'm more of a geek than I appear, you should see my apartment. It's full of stuff that normally would make women run for the hills faster than I can turn my head. The only reason my body looks the way it does is my friend Frankie brings me to a gym every other day to work out. As you can see, the routine works wonders. I have always been a tinkerer. Ever since I was a kid, I was always taking things apart and putting them back together. There was one time when I was six; I took apart the toaster to see how it worked. I guess I put too much tension on the springs when I put it together because every time the toast had finished cooking, the toaster flung the toast towards the ceiling."

Violet started to laugh again as she imagined the toast flying out of the toaster and his family chasing after it. She then said, "Your parents must have loved having to literally catch their breakfast when it was done."

"My father thought it was funny; however my mother was madder than hell especially when I couldn't figure out why it threw the toast directly into the ceiling fan and then having to go and chase it across the room once the fan let it go and in high heels none the less," Jeff said.

Violet was in the middle of taking a sip of her water when the image of Jeff's mother running across the room in a pair of heels chasing after a piece of toast. Violet started to laugh again and accidentally knocked over her glass of water. "Dang, I'm sorry.' She said as she wiped up the water with her napkin.

"Don't worry about it Violet. Let me help," Jeff said and he cleaned up the water that flowed to his side of the table.

Eventually they both managed to clean up the spilled water. Although, they both didn't realize that their faces were very close until they looked up and peered into each other's eyes. Jeff and Violet closed their eyes and started to move their faces closer to each other and just before they kissed, Paulie came out of the kitchen with their food. "Here you go kids, eat it up.. Um, did I interrupt something?" he asked.

Both Jeff and Violet quickly sat back down as they blushed heavily. Violet then answered, "Almost Paulie."

"Sorry," Paulie said as he served them their breakfast. He then wiped his hands on his apron and said, "Enjoy your breakfast." Paulie returned to the kitchen after he finished speaking.

They both watched him return to the kitchen and once the door closed, Jeff turned to Violet and said, "Well, that was embarrassing. I'm sorry Violet; I don't know what came over me. I should have not tried to kiss you."

She reached across the table and stroked his cheek as she said, "You were not the only one trying to kiss the other. Maybe later, you can try again?"

Jeff took her hand in his and said, "I'd like that Violet. I'd like that a lot. Please eat your food while it's nice and hot and when we are finished, we can go and watch that sun rise."

AS they both ate, they made small talk and every once in a while, their hands touched. After they finished, they sat at the table, holding each other's hand and looking into each other's eyes.

Paulie came back to the table, placed the check down, and asked as he started clearing the table, "I hope you enjoyed the food Violet? I know Jeff did so I won't even bother asking him."

Violet giggled at Paulie's comment and replied, "The food was excellent! I haven't eaten that well in a long time. Thank you."

"You're welcome miss," Paulie replied before he turned to Jeff and said, "You had better make sure she gets home safe."

"I plan on that Paulie," Jeff replied as he pulled out his wallet and started to withdraw some cash to pay for the meal.

Paulie grabbed his arm and said, "Seeing you finally out with a lady is payment enough. Go and enjoy the early morning." He then removed his hand.

Jeff put his wallet away as he said, "Thanks Paulie." He got out of his seat, pulled Violet's chair away from the table, helped her to her feet, and said, "We are heading down to the docks to watch the sun rise before I take her home."

"It was nice to meet you Paulie," Violet said as she extended her hand to him.

Paulie grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. He then said, "Handshakes are for acquaintances, family members hug. Welcome to our tiny family Violet."

Violet returned his embrace and said, "Thanks Paulie."

He let her go and said, "Take care of our cub. Jeff really is a good guy; he just needs a little push now and then."

"I will Paulie and thanks for the food. See you soon," Violet said as she pulled Jeff out of the coffee shop.

Paulie watched them disappear though the front door and then he said, "Jeff, you have been caught in her net and she is reeling you in. Good luck my friend, not that you need it."

Jeff and Violet made it back to Frankie's car and he opened the passenger door for her to get in.

Violet had other ideas though; she instead slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for their first kiss.

Jeff's eyes flew wide open when their lips met and then he relaxed and let the kiss take over as he put his arms around her.

Violet pulled back from the kiss and said, "Wow. That was amazing. I can get used to doing that, especially with you."

"I can get used to doing that too Violet and I wouldn't mind doing that again, just not now. We have about twenty minutes before the sun comes up and it will take fifteen minutes to get to the docks from here."

Violet reluctantly let go of Jeff and got into the car. Jeff ran around to the driver's side of the car. But before he got in, he licked his lips so he could taste her lips again. Jeff then got in the car and drove off towards the docks.

They arrived twelve minutes later and Jeff parked the car. They both got out and Jeff went to the trunk, opened it, and pulled out three blankets. He closed the trunk and went to Violet's side. He slipped his right hand into her left, intertwining their fingers and walked with her towards the end of the dock.

"This is the spot Violet. Give me a second to spread out the blanket so we have something to sit on," Jeff said right before he squatted down and spread out one of the larger blankets on the wooden dock. He then sat on the blanket and motioned for her to take a seat next to him.

Violet sat down to his right and Jeff reached behind him in order to give her a blanket. He opened up the blanket and put it around her. Then he reached back again to get the last blanket when she stopped him.

Violet opened her blanket up, put it around them both, and cuddled into him. She rested her head on his shoulder and said, "I like this better. You are so warm."

Jeff put his right arm around her waist, pulled the blanket closed, and leaned his head against hers. He then said, "I like this too Violet."

They sat like that for half an hour and watched as the sun slowly rose up over the horizon. She then lifted her head, looked into his face as the sun kissed his fur, and said, "As much as I want to spend the rest of the morning like this, I need to get some sleep. I have to work again tonight."

Jeff turned his head to look at Violet and said, "Alright, let's get you home and tucked into bed."

Jeff un-wrapped them from the blanket and they stood up. Jeff then gathered up the blankets, folded the blankets up nice and neat, and took Violet's hand again as they walked back to the car.

He drove her back to her building and parked right out in front. He shut the car off, turned to Violet, and asked, "I really had a good time this morning Violet. I..I want to do this again. Will you go out with me for a real date?"

Violet responded by pulling him into a kiss and slipping her tongue into his mouth. She pulled back a minute later and asked, "Who said this date was over? Care to spend the rest of the morning with me?" She then got out of the car and started walking towards the door to her building with her tail held high so he could see her swaying hips.

Jeff gulped and got out of the car as fast as he could so he could follow her into the building.


	9. Anne's Chance at Love CH8

The next morning, Joe woke up with Anne in his arms cuddled up nice and tight to his body. He looked down at her and started to wonder how he managed to not only meet this angel from heaven, but to have fallen deeply in love with her. Joe lowered his head back to the pillow and tried his best not to wake Anne while he gently stroked her hair.

However, as gentle as he tried to be, he managed to awaken Anne from her slumber. She opened her eyes, heard Joe's heart beating in his chest. She lifted her head from his chest, looked into his eyes, and kissed him before she pulled back and said, "Good morning Joe. Did you sleep well?"

Joe kissed her back before he answered, "Yes, I did and it's all because of you Anne."

"Really?" Anne asked as she lifted her head and looked deeply into his eyes. "What did I do?"

"You helped me realize what I have been missing for all of those years Anne, I have been missing someone to love and someone to love me back, "Joe replied as he pulled her back into his frame.

Anne listened to his heart beating again, except this time a little more rapidly than before. She let her left hand graze his right pectoral and said, "Well, if you feel that way Joe, I'll have to keep you around. However, next time we are sleeping in my bed. It's a lot more comfortable than this old mattress."

Joe continued to play with her hair as he said, "Then we I'll have to try it out, maybe even tonight?"

Anne's hand slipped lower down his body, feeling the taught muscles hidden beneath his fur. She then said, "Aren't you being presumptuous, thinking that you are going to be sleeping with me again so soon."

Joe flipped them over so he was on top of her, pinning Anne to the mattress. A playful smile crossed his face before he said, "I wasn't the one who came in here in the middle of the night Anne. I clearly remember a certain woman who entered and climbed into bed with me on her own free will."

Anne wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting herself to him, then said, "Hmm, I must have been bewitched or something. And I think I still am." She then kissed him nice and hard.

Joe returned her kiss and lowered them to the mattress. His mouth left hers and traveled down her neck to the junction of her neck and collar bone, making her purr in delight. As he nuzzled her neck, his hands found the hem of her nightgown and lifted it over her thighs so he could feel the soft, fine fur of her legs.

Just as soon as Anne felt his hand brush against her thigh, she let out a deep purr and moaned. She then said, "Joe, I need you, badly."

Joe's heart and mind were pulling him in two different directions. One was telling him to take Anne and the other was telling him to stop before he would not be able to. Joe growled, got out of the bed, and went into the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him and turned on the shower, nice and cold.

Anne had never had a man get out of bed with her when she had basically asked him to make love to her. And yet Joe had her high on arousal before he just upped and left. She got out of bed, went over to the bathroom, and cautiously knocked on the door. "Is everything alright Joe?"

Joe was already under the water, cooling himself down when he heard Anne's question. He replied, "Please stay out Anne. As much as I want to make love to you and boy do I want to, now is not the right time. I want our first time to actually mean something and not just two adults rutting in lust."

Anne placed her hand flat against the door and listened to the water running for a few minutes as she thought about what Joe had told her. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute; debating whether it was something she said or did to make him react that way. However, rationality kicked in and she realized that he actually loved and cared for her otherwise, he wouldn't have backed off the way he did. She removed her hand from the door, turned, and went to get her clothes laid out.

Joe finally calmed down enough so he wouldn't lose control and act like an overly hormonal teenager when he saw Anne again. He turned off the water, dried himself off, and wrapped the towel around him before he returned to the bedroom where Anne was sitting on the edge of the bed with her head leaning forward, looking into her lap, and waiting for him. "I'm sorry I ran away Anne," Joe said as he went over to the bed and sat next to her. He turned his head to the right, put on a smile, and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. "Anne, as much as I wanted to make love to you, I couldn't bring myself to do so. You mean more to me than you know," Joe said right before he lifted her head so she could look into his eyes. He then said, "You know what happened to me after my wife and un-born child were murdered, what you don't know is what I went through before I met you. Anne, I was a mindless shell of a man who worked over eighteen hours a day. I didn't eat much, I wouldn't socialize, I just worked and slept, if you can call what I did at night sleeping. After about two months, my so-called employers noticed my work was starting to suffer, so they figured if I started having the companionship of a female regularly I would revert back to my normal self."

Anne listened to Joe tell his story. She had heard of things like this happening from other reporters in the news room, but never expected to hear this tale from the man she loved.

"I finished work one particular night and returned to my room. I opened the door, turned on the lights, and found a very provocatively dressed woman sitting on my bed. Before I could ask her why she was there or ask her to leave, she got off of the bed, slinked her way over, and wrapped herself around me before leading me to the bed. I won't lie to you Anne. I had sex with her and several other women, although there was no emotion behind the acts. I was just going through the motions to appease my bosses," Joe said before he brought her tight to his body and said, "That is the reason why I can't make love to you yet. It's not that I don't love you enough or I don't find you incredibly sexy because I do, I need time to heal Anne. If we made love now, as much as I would enjoy the act, I wouldn't feel the raw emotion I want to experience when we do finally make love if I didn't have meaningless sex with all of those women."

Anne wrapped her arms around Joe and held him tight. She then said, "No one should have to go through all of that Joe and I'm truly sorry that you did. If you want to wait, then that is what we will do Joe." She lifted her head to look into his hazel eyes, then said, "I love you Joe and I want you to be comfortable in my home. So if I do something that doesn't make you feel right for whatever reason, you need to let me know so we can talk about it."

Joe stroked her right cheek with the back of his hand as he said, "I promise from now on Anne, if something is bothering me, I will let you know." He turned his head in order to check the time on the clock sitting on the nightstand and noticed that it was now 9:30 in the morning. Joe turned his head back to Anne and asked, "May I take a beautiful lady out for breakfast?"

"I hope you are talking about me Joe or I have a nice and heavy microphone in the closet with your name on it," Anne replied as her eyes narrowed.

Joe backed away from her, held up his hands, and replied, "Of course I mean you. What other woman would put up with me. Please go and get dressed and wear something that will show off that sexy body of yours Anne. I want to show you off to some of my best friends and make them jealous of me that I have this gorgeous woman on my arm."

Anne's facial expression did not change at all with his response. She planted her hands on her hips, then said, "I'm not a piece of eye candy that you can parade around Joe. I'm an intelligent, independent, and strong woman so don't you forget that!" Her facial expression changed to a much softer one, and then said, "I would love to meet your friends. I just have happened to buy a pair of jeans that fit me very well. I think you will like them." She then sneaked in a kiss to his cheek, stood up, and grabbed her clothes. She walked over to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Joe watched her every move as she gathered her clothing and went into the bathroom to change. Once the door was closed and he heard the shower start, he said, "You most certainly are everything you say Anne as well as a drop dead gorgeous woman. One day, when we are both ready, I want to be able to call you my wife." He then proceeded to get dressed.

Frankie and Emily were already dressed and on their way to Paulie's to meet everyone for breakfast and the meeting of the old gang. Since it was a nice morning for a stroll, they decided to walk the ten blocks to Paulie's. As they walked by the park by Anne's building, both Frankie and Emily heard the sounds of a crying teenaged girl just on the other side of the gate. They both looked at each other and took off towards the entrance gate as fast as their legs could carry them. As they entered the park and turned back towards the sounds of the girl, they saw a group of men running away from a series of dense bushes.

"Emily, go and check on the girl while I deal with these guys and call the Enforcers. I have a bad feeling about this," Frankie said as he took off after the group of men.

Emily slowed down when she approached the bushes and heard the whimpering of the girl. She moved a few of the branches with her hands and instantly saw a teenaged girl, curled up tightly in a ball, crying and dirty. Emily crouched down to her, gently put her hand on the girl's arm, and said, "Hey, I'm Emily. Let me help you."

The girl opened her left eye and saw Emily crouched down next to her with a bright and cheery smile no her face. The girl then asked, "Are they gone?"

"Yes, they are gone. What happened? Are you alright?" Emily asked.

The girl relaxed and slowly un-curled herself. She brought herself to her knees and slumped forward. She was able to catch herself by planting both of her hands in the dirt. She then resumed crying.

Emily took out her phone and called the Enforcers and gave them their location and described what she thought happened. She put her phone away and went back to the girl in order to keep her calm as well as try to comfort her by holding her in her arms and rocking her slowly back and forth.

Frankie quickly caught up with the men he saw running from the scene. He brought one of them to a stop by grabbing the back of his shirt collar and pulling the man towards himself.

"Let me go," the man yelled at Frankie as he struggled to break free of Frankie's hold.

"No way, not until you tell me what you and your friends did to that girl back there," Frankie said as he held him tight with no intention of letting him go.

The other two men returned to help their friend get away from Frankie. One of them pulled out a knife and said, "Look pops, let him go and no one gets hurt."

Frankie lifted an eyebrow and then said, "Pops? Kid, I am not your pops and if I was, I would be ashamed of you. I'll let your friend go, once you or he tells me what all of you did to that girl back there."

The guy without the knife pulled out a set of brass knuckles from his pocket as he said, "What does it matter to you what we do to some bitch that dissed us? She was the one who ran past us, showing what she got and when all we asked her for as a good time? She ignored us and kept on running."

Frankie quickly put two and two together and realized they had tried to molest that girl. His face was now riddled with anger because it could have just as easily have been one of his daughters doing the exact same thing that innocent girl was doing. He said with a very angry tone, "So what if she ignored you punks! Didn't your mothers and fathers teach you how to treat a lady? No girl deserves to be touched when they don't want to be!"

"She had it coming pops!" the guy with the knife said. "She was the one wearing those tight shorts and top that showed off everything. She wanted it and we were going to give it to her. So let our friend go, and you will be able to walk away with most of you in one piece."

Little did they know, Frankie has dealt with a lot worse than a bunch of street thugs while protecting Joe. He threw their friend back at the other two, then said, "You three couldn't take me on even with your weapons. My wife has probably called the Enforcers by now. So they should be arriving very soon to take you all in. Why don't we just sit down and wait for them and do this the easy way. However, if you prefer the hard way, I'm more than happy to oblige."

The guy with the knife came after Frankie and tried to stab him in the stomach. He managed to get close, but Frankie was quicker and more agile. In a single move, Frankie grabbed the guy's wrist, flicked it hard enough to disarm him, and accidentally, break the guy's wrist in the process.

"OW! What the hell!" the man screamed as his hand went limp and caused him agonizing pain. He tried to support the hand the best he could but every time he touched it, he screamed in pain. Eventually, he let it hang limp from his broken wrist and yelled at his friends, "Get him!"

The other two men simultaneously attacked Frankie. The man with the brass knuckles tried to punch Frankie in the face but Frankie moved at the last minute and once the man moved past him, Frankie slammed his right elbow into the man's upper back, bringing him down to the ground. He hit with such force, the impact knocked the air from his lungs.

The third man was about to attack Frankie when he saw how well Frankie defended himself against his friends. He quickly tried to run away, but instead he ran smack dab into an Enforcer who grabbed him and brought his hands behind his back. The Enforcer then asked, "What is going on here and I want an answer now!"

"That guy jumped us officer," the first man said. "He even broke my hand." He tried to hold his hand up so the Enforcer could see it hanging there but he winced in pain when he tried to do that.

"Really? We had a call for an assault on a female in the park by three men from a woman stating that her husband was going after them. My partner is with the victim now and is getting her statement while they wait for the ambulance to take her to be examined. She told my partner that she got a real good look at the three guys that did this to her. She also told me they were dressed much like you three are. Care to explain that?" The enforcer asked.

By then, four more Enforcer officers arrived and took the other two men plus Frankie into custody until they were told the entire story from the victim. One of the other Enforcers said, "Why don't we all head back towards the entrance and we will get the facts from the victim first hand."

Frankie and the three other men were led back to the scene of the assault with their hands secured behind their backs.

Emily heard the footsteps of the Enforcers returning to her. She lifted her head away from the girl and saw her husband being led back to her in handcuffs. She let go of the girl, went to Frankie, wrapped her arms around him, and asked, "Why are you in handcuffs?"

"I don't know Emily, I did nothing but defend myself back there so I should be free in a few minutes," Frankie replied.

The girl was brought over to the men. She had a blanket covering her body and keeping her warm. She looked at the four men in custody, buried her face into the chest of the Enforcer who was standing next to her, and said, "Those three younger men are the ones officer. They attacked me and tried to get me to do things." She started to cry again after she spoke.

The officer held her tight and stroked her hair as he said, "Don't worry miss, they won't be seeing the light of day for a long time." He turned his head towards the other officers, then said, "Take them away."

The three men were led away to a patrol car, put inside, and driven to central booking. Once they were gone, an officer went over to Frankie to undo his cuffs. He tried to find the key to the handcuffs but could not find it on his key ring. He asked, "Does anyone have a key to the cuffs?"

Don't bother sir," Frankie said as he flexed his arms, pulled them tight across his back, and broke the cuffs, releasing the cuffs from his wrists.

The officer picked up the broken handcuffs from the ground and asked, "How did you do that? Those handcuffs were made out of some of the hardest steel; they were supposed to be unbreakable."

Frankie rubbed his wrists from where the handcuffs dug into them as he replied, "I guess they weren't that unbreakable. May my wife and I go sir?"

I don't see any reason to keep you but don't leave the city, we may need to question you later," the officer said.

"Alright officer, my wife has given our contact information you one of the officers already, have a good day," Frankie said to the officer. He then picked up Emily in his arms before he said, "Come on my beautiful wife, we have a breakfast to attend."

The officers watched as Frankie walked away with Emily in his arms. One of the officers then said, "Can you believe that massive man is married to that tiny woman? I wonder what their kids look like?"

Once Frankie and Emily were safely outside of the park, Frankie put her down before he asked, "I hope you didn't mind me carrying you like that Em?"

Emily stood on her toes to stroke her husband's cheek with her hand. She then said, "I like being carried, especially by my loving husband."

Frankie smiled at his wife, then said as he picked her up in his arms again, "Well then, I am going to carry you all the way to breakfast."

They arrived at Paulie's a few minutes later and entered the coffee shop.

Paulie heard the front door open and left the kitchen to greet whoever entered the shop. When he saw Frankie and Emily enter the shop, he dropped the bus tub down on the counter before he went over to Emily and picked her up and swung her in the air. "Emily! It's so good to see you again sis." He put her down then asked, "Is this big lug taking care of you?"

"Frankie is taking care of me very well little brother," Emily replied right before she kissed her brother on the cheek.

"Good, I would hate to have to be one to try to kick his tail," Paulie said.

"Not like you ever could Paulie," Frankie said. "Where are the rest of the gang? They should have been here by now."

"Andy should be on his way. Tony can't make it, something about his wife having the flu. Rick said he'd be here but you know him, once he get on that bike of his, his mind shuts down and he forgets what he is supposed to be doing. And Jeff, well I don't expect him to be showing up. Especially after seeing his date," Paulie said.

"You mean Sapphire managed to get him to finally go out with Violet?" Emily asked.

"Yep, you should have seen them Em. Jeff and Violet were about to kiss when I left the kitchen to bring them their order. I sort of interrupted them and they were both very embarrassed about the whole thing," Paulie said.

Frankie went over to Emily and held her tight to his body. He then said, "Jeff is in for a wild ride with that one. Violet is a very sweet and nice girl, but she is a real wild-cat! I hope she can drag Jeff out of his shell?"

Back over at Violet's apartment, Jeff woke up on a strange couch. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretched, and recalled what happened a few hours earlier. Jeff got off of the couch, went into the kitchen, and noticed a very strange device that appeared to be some sort of coffee maker.

While Jeff was occupied with trying to figure out how to work the coffee maker, Violet snuck up behind him, leaned against the counter, and asked, "Do you need a hand with that?"

Jeff turned around and his eyes almost fell out of their sockets. For standing before him was Violet wearing nothing but a long t-shirt, leaving most of her long and shapely legs exposed. His eyes traveled further up her body and saw her very feminine form under the shirt. He instantly turned his head away from her.

Violet moved forward and reached around Jeff to get the coffee maker started as she rubbed her chest against his while her hands made quick work of setting the maker up. She then backed up, put her hands on her cocked hips, and said, "This will take about five minutes to brew. Now, would you mind explaining why I had to sleep alone this morning? We both were quite into each other earlier and I was kind of hoping you would have slept with me, even if we didn't do it."

Jeff grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his frame. Her arms instantly went around his neck and as soon as they were both settled into each other, he said, "Violet, yes we were both very into each other this morning I so wanted to take things further and do it with you. I don't know how many men you have slept with in the past and it's not my business to know. But I want my first time to be special Violet and not a romp on the couch. That is why I backed away, not because I don't have feelings for you, I want to take this slow and let this relationship build before I give myself to you. Ok?"

Violet let one of her hands slip from around his neck and stopped on his chest. She felt his heart beating under the hard muscle. She then said, "I never had a guy turn down a chance to sleep with me, then again, I only asked two before now." She turned her head towards the clock built into the stove then returned it to look into Jeff's eyes before she said, "That old couch is not a comfortable place to be sleeping Jeff, it's still early in the morning and I need more sleep if I expect to make it through work tonight." She removed her other hand from his neck, interlaced her fingers with his and pulled him towards her bedroom as she said, "Let's go to bed Jeff, the coffee will still be fresh and hot when we get up again."

Jeff followed her to the door that led into her bedroom, then stopped. He asked, "I'm not sure if I can keep my hands off of you Violet. I..don't want to do something you and I are not ready for."

A smile crossed Violet's face. She caressed his cheek and said, "Then we won't. We will just sleep together and take it from there. I want to know what it feels like to wake up in those strong loving arms of yours Jeff."

"Loving?" Jeff asked.

Violet blushed just a hair then responded, "Yes, loving. You have a gentle and loving touch Jeff and I like it a lot. I'm not saying I love you, but I deeply like you. Come on and lull your girlfriend into a peaceful slumber."

Jeff followed her into her bedroom and closed the door behind him. He watched her slip under the covers, pulled the covers back across from her, and patted the mattress for him to join her. He walked across the room, slid under the covers, and pulled them up to his neck.

Violet pulled herself into him, laid her head on his chest, and said, "This is much better. Sleep well Jeff." She closed her eyes and subconsciously her left hand rested on his abs and played with his fur with her fingers.

Jeff did his best to ignore her hand and concentrated on her light breathing. He listened to her breathe for a minute before falling asleep himself.


	10. Anne's Chance at Love CH9

Jeff woke up with Violet in his arms and her head resting very comfortably on his chest. He looked down at her beautiful face then rested his head against the pillow as he thought, 'I can get used to this, very quickly.'

Violet woke up when she felt him stir ever so slightly. She opened her eyes and lifted her head to gaze at the face of the man that she hoped would stick around. "Good morning again Jeff, did you sleep well?" She then kissed him.

Jeff returned her kiss, then asked, "What time is it?"

Violet turned her head to look at the crazy contraption she crafted and mounted on the wall that she used as a clock. It consisted of three glass tubes she bent into weird shapes. Each once contained a different primary colored liquid that represented hours and minutes. After looking at the levels shown in the tubes, she then turned her head back to Jeff and answered, "About 9:45."

Upon hearing the time, Jeff let go of her and bolted out of her bed. "Crap, I'm going to be late for a meeting. Where the heck is my clothes?" he asked as he frantically looked around the room for his clothing.

Violet finally got a real good look at Jeff's half-naked body as he ran around her bedroom in just his shorts. Her eyes traveled from his broad chest and strong back, to his six-pack of abs, to his tail and butt, and finally, his long and muscular legs. She licked her lips and let out a growl of appreciation, then grabbed his tail when he was close enough to her and pulled him back onto the bed.

"Violet, what are you doing? I have to get to that meeting before.." Jeff started to say but was interrupted by Violet holding her left index finger to his lips and saying, "Call Francine and let her go in your place. You have better things to do."

Jeff noticed a glimmer in her eyes that he did not see before and quickly determined that Violet wanted him to stay with her so they could get to know each other better. He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Oh, what better things do I need to do?"

Violet lifted her right leg over his legs and straddled his waist before she leaned forward so her breasts were pressed against his chest, then answered, "Keeping your new girlfriend warm for one, then taking her to your apartment so we can back up some of your stuff and bring it back here."

"And why do I need to do the latter?" Jeff asked as he draped his left arm around her.

"So you can start to move in here, with me. I.. kind of like waking up with your arms around me," Violet answered before she rested her head on his right shoulder.

Jeff stroked her back as he contemplated what Violet had just told him. He admitted this was a very large step to take considering they had just met but he could not deny that he liked having Violet close to him and having her fall asleep in his arms was a bonus. "Alright Violet; on one condition."

She lifted her head to look into his eyes, then asked, "What would that be?"

"We take this slowly. I really like you and I don't want to rush things. I want to get to know the Violet that is not running around in tight leather pants in some seedy bar. The Violet who is smart, independent, and downright beautiful is the one that I want to know better. Ok?" Jeff asked.

"Hmm, I think I can live with that," Violet responded. She then laid her head back down on his shoulder and played with the fur on his chest.

"Let me call Francine and ask her to attend my meeting as my proxy. Knowing her sisters the way I do, they had already told her that I kissed you back at the bar and I am sure there is going to be a lot of questions she is going to ask," Jeff said. He then lifted Violet off of his body and went to get his phone from the other room. He quickly returned and sat on the edge of her bed and asked, "Do you want to hear Francine freak out?"

Violet pulled the covers up to her shoulders, turned onto her left side to face him, and replied, "Sure."

Jeff gave her a quick kiss then dialed Francine.

Francine was already up, dressed, and out for her run when her phone started ringing that was attached to her right arm. Since she had the phone set to answer any calls automatically, the music she was listening to stopped and she answered, "Hello."

"Francine, its Jeff. I need you to attend a meeting with Joe and your father this morning at Paulie's for me. I'm sort of occupied," Jeff said.

Francine stopped running and asked, "Occupied? As in occupied with a certain waitress?"

"Ugh, yes Francine. I'm with Violet," Jeff said. "Why do I let your sisters talk me into things?"

"Because you love them Jeff and now that you met Violet, do you like her?" Francine asked as her tail swayed in anticipation of his answer.

Violet was giggling with her paws covering her mouth.

Jeff heard her, cupped the phone so Francine could not hear him speak, turned his head to face Violet, and said, "I'll get even with you later." He removed his hand but did not remove his gaze from Violet and answered, "I do like her. I'm done playing twenty questions from you. Please go and find out what else Joe wants me to do and no, you aren't getting a cut on the action either."

"Wait a minute! I get to handle the meeting and possibly sell more of your stuff and I don't get a cut of the profits?" She yelled as her tail bristled out. "So why am I going to do this for you?"

"One, I helped you build your science project or actually built your science project while you were out on a date that your parents didn't know about and two, you want to see Joe happy and in love again, don't you?" Jeff said.

Francine walked over towards a lamp post, leaned against it, then answered, "Yes, I want to see Uncle Joe happy and in love again Jeff. He has not been the same fun loving uncle I knew growing up since Aunt Bev was killed."

"That is what I thought you would say Francine. I'll tell you what I am going to do as payment, do you remember how your laptop is always crashing when you are looking at those websites of men in.. how do I say this gently, less than appropriate attire? How about I fix that for you," Jeff said.

Francine's body became rigid and asked, "How do you know what I look at on the web?"

Jeff and Violet chuckled then Jeff responded, "I put the service in your house Francine and I monitor it so your father doesn't accidentally bring down the entire network. There is not a keystroke that anyone makes in that house I don't know about."

"You have a deal Jeff I'll head over there right now. Who else is going to be there?" Francine asked as she started running towards Paulie's café.

"Your father and mother, plus Al, Paulie, and I think Rick is going to be there as well as Joe and possibly Anne. No one you really don't know," Jeff said.

"Rick is going to be there!?" Francine asked. "Now I'm kicking myself for not showering and dressing for this. I was sort of hoping for a ride on his bike, then possibly a date."

"Francine, sorry to disappoint you but you are not the type of person he wants to date," Jeff said.

"What's wrong with me?" Francine asked.

"Nothing is wrong with you at all. He's gay Francine," Jeff answered.

Francine stopped in her tracks, then said, "That explains a few things, why are the good men either taken or gay. See you later so you can fix my laptop." She tapped her phone to disconnect the call.

As Jeff put his phone on the nightstand, Violet asked, "I thought you said she was going to freak out?"

"I guess I was wrong, now if I remember correctly. I owe a certain girlfriend a little payback," Jeff said as he rolled over so he was lying next to her and started tickling her sides.

Violet started laughing as Jeff tickled her, then after a minute, she became the aggressor, wrapped her arms around Jeff's neck, and sealed their mouths together in a searing kiss.

Luckily for Francine, she was only a few blocks away from Paulie's when Jeff called her so she only had to make a slight detour in her routine. She stopped in front of Paulie's, opened the door and entered.

Paulie heard the door open and turned to the front of his café before he started to say, "I'm sorry but we are.."

Francine ran over to her uncle, wrapped her arms around his portly form, and said, "Hi Paulie! It's been too long since I have seen you. How have you been?"

Paulie's face lit up when Francine embraced him. He fell in love with her on the day she was born and she wrapped her tiny little hand around his finger for the first time. "I'm alright Francine," he replied and pulled back before he asked, "Why are you here?"

"Uncle Jeff asked me to fill in for him since he is otherwise occupied with Violet," Francine said then wiped her brow with her left hand and asked, "Can I get some water, please?"

"Sure thing Francine, your parents are over in the corner. I'll bring it over to you," Paulie said before he headed off behind the counter to get a glass of water for his niece.

Francine walked over to the table where her parents were sitting and noticed as she approached, their hands were lovingly intertwined. "Aw, isn't that sweet. I told you mom, dad still loves you to death. Now go and give him a kiss." Francine said.

Both Frankie and Emily looked at their youngest daughter then Frankie asked, "Why are you here Francine?"

"This again," Francine said. "Jeff asked me to cover for him so he could spend time with his new girlfriend. I think he is either at her place or she is at his. I heard Violet giggling in the back ground."

"Whoa wait a minute, Jeff has a girlfriend? Does that mean I'll have to start cooking for a plus one?" Emily asked.

"You might mom," Francine answered, "Then again if they were doing what I think they were doing, you might be cooking for a plus two."

"Jeff is a complete gentleman Francine; he doesn't even flirt with the women at the gym. So he wouldn't do that, until he got to know Violet much better, "Frankie said.

Emily turned her head to stare at her husband, then asked, "So you about Violet too, dear? Why didn't you tell me?"

"If I did tell you what Sapphire and Crystal had planned, you would have tried to stop them. I met Violet once and even though she is a little..um.. unique, she is very nice and smart. She will be perfect for Jeff and who knows? In a few years we might even hear the pitter patter of little feet on our floors again," Frankie answered.

"I hope so Frank, he is like my little brother and I don't want to see him hurt," Emily said.

Frankie hugged his wife nice and tight, then said, "I don't want to see him hurt either Em but I trust our daughters. If they think that Violet is going to be perfect for Jeff, then she will be." He then kissed his wife on the cheek.

Francine took a seat next to her father when Paulie showed up with four glasses and a large pitcher of water. He started pouring the water into the glasses when they all heard a loud motorcycle pull up in front of the café.

Paulie turned around towards the front of his café and said, "I guess Rick is here."

Rick parked his bike in front of Paulie's café, dismounted his bike, and hung his helmet on the right hand grip before he walked into the café.

Just as soon as he entered, Francine crashed into him and said, "Rick! I want you to take me for a ride!"

Rick hugged her, smiled, and said, "Hey Francine. As much as I would love to take you for a ride on my bike, I think your father would kill me if I did." Rick lifted his head towards Frankie then asked, "Am I correct Frankie?"

"That would be correct Rick, there is no way any of my daughters are getting on the back of that thing," Frankie replied.

Rick looked own at Francine, then said, "Sorry kiddo, I love you but I want to keep my head attached to my body. Come on, let's go and take a seat with the rents and catch up. I want to hear what that brilliant mind of yours has been up to."

Joe and Anne arrived a few minutes later and Joe noticed Rick's bike parked in front of the café. They parked a few blocks over instead of in the lot across the street then Joe shut off his car. He turned his body in his seat to face Anne, then asked, "Are you ready to meet one of the moteliest crews you will ever meet?"

Anne let a giggle escape her mouth, then she caressed his left cheek with her right paw and said, "If Emily is any indication of how this crew is going to be, then I will be fine. Let's go and meet your friends."

Before she opened the door and got out of the car, Joe pulled her to him and gave her a passionate kiss.

Anne fisted the lapels of his shirt as she returned his kiss and deepened it by slipping her tongue into his mouth, begging him to take this further.

Joe pulled back from the kiss but leaned his forehead to rest against hers. He then said, "You are going to kill me by kissing me like that Anne. You have no idea how your kiss affects me and maybe tonight, I'll show you." Joe let her go and got out of the car before he ran over to her side, opened the door, and extended his hand to help her out.

Anne took his hand then got out of the car and started walking towards the café. She stopped to watch Joe close the door to the car and got a good look at his firm backside in his pants. She lifted the corner of her mouth, narrowed her eyes, then she grabbed his butt before she sauntered into the café with her hips swaying for his behalf.

Joe almost jumped out of his skin when Anne un-expectantly grabbed him. He turned his head to see her tail slip inside Paulie's and heard the door close. "I'll get even with you later my love," he said with a smirk on his face.

As soon as the door closed, Anne covered her mouth with both of her hands and started to laugh.

Emily heard Anne's laughter and went over to her. She then asked, "What's so funny Anne?"

"The look on Joe's face after I grabbed his firm behind on the way in here. He looked like he had seen a ghost or something," Anne said as she looked Emily in the eye.

"You grabbed Joe's butt?" Emily asked then started to laugh herself. In between the boughs of laughter, she said, "Beverly was the last person to grab Joe like that and he got even with her that night."

"Oh, what did he do to her?" Anne asked.

"Nothing she didn't like. She got pregnant that night if I remember correctly," Emily answered.

"Then he is going to be staying in the spare room tonight or at his place. I love him but I am not ready for that," Anne said.

As Anne finished speaking, Joe walked into the café and heard the end of Anne's and Emily's conversation. He went over to Anne, wrapped his arms around her waist, and asked, "Not ready for what?"

Upon hearing Joe's voice and feeling his arms around her waist, she turned around in his arms, interlaced her fingers against the back of his neck, and said, "Your form of retribution, Joe."

Joe turned his head ever so slightly to face Emily and asked, "What did you tell her?"

"That you got Beverly pregnant that night after she grabbed your behind Joe. Remember, you were staying at my house because yours was still being finished. You both were quite vocal that night," Emily said.

Anne started to giggle again as she watched Joe's face turn red with embarrassment. She then caressed his cheek and asked to change the subject, "You have a house? Can we go see it?"

"Sure Anne, how about we go right after breakfast? I need to get a few things if I am going to be staying at your place, at least for the near future," Joe said.

As they all went to sit down at the table with Frankie and Emily, Al arrived in front of the café just in time to hear the exhaust of some sort of hot-rod pull up. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw an older model Dodge Challenger painted in metallic purple pull up in front of the café and park next to Rick's bike. As he admired the car, the driver got out and closed the door.

"Is this Paulie's Café?" the driver asked.

Al looked up from the car to the driver, then asked, "Yes it is. Nice car by the way, is it a 69 or a 68?"

"It's a 69," the driver responded as he walked around the car and stood in front of Al. "I'm Don, Rick asked me to meet him here."

Don was wearing a red T-Shirt that was very tight to his well-formed upper body, a pair of snug jeans which did nothing to hide the muscle tone of his legs, and a pair of brown leather boots. His brown hair was slicked back and he had a single earing in his right ear.

"Rick is already here and probably starting to get on Paulie's nerves by now. Let's head inside and I'll buy you a cup of coffee if you will tell me how you managed to keep those three carburetors in time," Al said.

"Deal," Don responded and followed Al towards the door.

Al opened the door and let Don enter before he did and closed the door behind him.

Rick heard the door open and turned his head towards it. He saw Don enter, followed by Al, and then got out of his seat. Rick went over to Don, put his hands on Don's waist, kissed him, then said, "Took you long enough to get here."

Don put his hands on Rick's waist and said, "Sorry lover, I had a little trouble getting Nina started. You know how temperamental she can get."

"Don't I," Rick said. "She left us stranded out in the woods during our last date. Although, what you did to keep me warm, I liked, a lot."

Paulie heard Rick's speech, shook his head, then said, "I don't want to hear this. Sit down and order something. We are here for one reason alone and not to hear about your romantic lives."

Both Rick and Don turned their heads towards Paulie and said, "Yes, father," then took their seats at the table.

After everyone was seated and placed their breakfast orders with Paulie, Joe rose from his seat, cleared his throat, and said, "Glad you all could make it. I've known all of you for years and one of you since birth. I consider all of you my family and I am grateful for your friendship. As you all know, ever since Beverly was killed, I was a very broken man. A few nights ago, I met a woman, not just any woman, a woman who has captivated my heart again and made me want to change my life." He turned his head to look at Anne and smiled, before he continued, "Being with Anne makes me feel whole again and I love her."

A small tear left Anne's eye when she heard Joe tell his friends that he loved her.

"Please don't do that Anne," Joe said. "Tears don't belong on such a beautiful face." He then lifted his gaze to the rest of the group, then said, "I have left the family and start to work in the Crime Lab for the Enforcers on Monday morning. That being said, the family is going to do everything they can to try to get me back. Jeff and Frankie have already wired Anne's apartment with the best security stuff out there. But being a reporter makes her a very easy target for them. I have already put a kid on pay role to watch her, but he is young and is not going to be enough to go against the family. So, the question is, what are we going to do to make sure my girlfriend stays safe?"

"What makes you think they are going to go after Anne Joe?" Al asked after he put his mug of coffee down.

"They didn't take no as an answer when they asked me to make more powerful explosives for them. They went after the one person that mattered to me, my pregnant wife!" Joe said. His tone changed and he started screaming, "She was going to give me the best gift a woman could ever give a man, a child! My former employers killed my wife and un-born child to send me a message Al! They took everything from me without batting an eye! Don't you think that they are more willing to try to kill Anne just the way they murdered Beverly?" Joe slumped down in his chair after he finished, leaned forward and out his face in his hands, then started crying.

Anne was out of her seat and to his side. She wrapped her arms around him, kissed his right cheek, then said, "Joe, I have you. Go on and cry if you want to."

Francine went over to them, wrapped her arms around them both, then said, "Uncle Joe, I will do whatever I have to in order to keep her safe. Joe, I want the uncle I grew up with. The man who taught me to love chemistry, the man that stayed up with me when I had a nightmare and my father wasn't around, and the man who I love."

"Joe, I never had a choice in the matter when it came to the family," Frankie said. "My father was their muscle and so was my grandfather. I was expected to fall right in and take their place which I did. After I was assigned to you all of those years ago, I started to attend college. If it wasn't for you Joe, I never would have met my wonderful wife and have three beautiful daughters. So, as my daughter stated, I will do anything needed to make sure that Anne is safe. Are you guys with me?"

Everyone looked at each other, then over to Joe who was still crying in Anne's arms.

Paulie pulled a kitchen knife out from under his apron, then said, "We are with you Frankie, tell us what we have to do."

End of Chapter


	11. Anne's Chance at Love CH 10

**Disclaimer: Anne Gora belongs to Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own all others.**

 **Its been too long since I updated this story. This chapter came to me a few nights ago and I started writing.**

 **Jeff and Violet's relationship is about to take a turn for the better. Wish them well.**

 **Enjoy!**

After Frankie explained his elaborate plan to everyone, Paulie returned to the kitchen in order to make breakfast for everyone.

Francine and Emily listened to the men talking for a few minutes, then decided they hear enough 'Guy' talk for the morning. They both got out of their seats, went over to where Anne was sitting, and lifted her out of her chair while Emily said, "Come on Anne, we are going to have a little 'Girl talk' in the kitchen, once we kick Paulie out that is.

Anne was about to protest but then she noticed the determined look in Emily's eyes and decided against it. She did ask, "Can I at least kiss Joe one more time?"

"I guess that will be alright, just make it quick. You haven't seen my husband eat yet and I assure you, he can pack it in better than a Linebacker," Emily responded.

They put Anne back down and she went over to Joe. She grabbed the fur on his cheeks, forcing him to face her, and kissed him, nice and hard.

Joe was surprised when Anne kissed him all of a sudden and especially the way she initiated the kiss. However, he leaned in and kissed her back.

Everyone in the café stopped what they were doing and watched Joe and Anne kiss.

Anne pulled back from the shared kiss, licked her lips, then asked, "Do you think that will hold you over while Emily, Francine, and I go and have a little female time Joe or do I need to kiss you again and this time, I might not be so gentle?"

"I think that you might give me a heart attack one day if you keep kissing me in that manner Anne," Joe replied. "Although if you did I would die a happy man." He smiled at her right after he finished speaking.

"In that case," Anne said before she turned to Frankie and asked, "Frankie, can you and Jeff start bringing Joe with you to the gym? I can't have him die on me can I?"

Frankie let out a deep belly laugh and answered, "Sure Anne, Jeff and I will make sure that he gets a real good workout and gets in shape for you and I am sure Emily will help you plan out a strict diet for him too."

"Now wait a minute Francis, my diet is perfectly fine and I'm in good shape for a man my age," Joe rebutted.

Frankie lifted his right eyebrow and asked, "Really? Then what did you order for breakfast Joe?"

"My usual when I come here," Joe answered. "Two eggs, bacon, toast with butter, and coffee."

"Did you also order the coronary bypass on the side?" Emily asked. "That is not the way to eat Joe and I know you come here more often then you should. You need to be eating a lot more healthier foods and cut back on the fats." She then grabbed Anne and said, "We have a date in the kitchen Anne and we are going to have to kick Paulie out of the way in order to get to his stove and make a decent breakfast for this crew." They soon disappeared into the kitchen followed by Francine.

A few minutes later, Paulie was shoved out of his own kitchen and back into the main section of the café. Francine walked out of the kitchen right behind him and stood guard in front of the two doors with her arms crossed in front of her.

"What the hell Francine?" Paulie asked. "This is MY café and my customers deserve to be able to eat what they want!"

"Not today Paulie," Francine answered. "We girls are taking over and if you have a problem with that. You can bring it up with my father."

Paulie turned to Frankie and asked, "Can you control your daughter?"

"No I can't," Frankie replied then took a sip of his coffee.

Paulie was about to charge back into the kitchen. Then he looked into Francine's determined eyes and quickly decided against it. Instead, he grabbed an extra mug from the counter and took Anne's seat next to Joe before he poured himself a cup of coffee and asked, "Are you sure you want to get involved again Joe? There is a reason I got a divorce from my wife and you just witnessed it."

"Paulie, you got divorced from Deb because you were never home," Joe said. "Plus Debbra is just as stubborn and determined as Francine is. You two just weren't compatible."

In the kitchen, Emily had already opened the refrigerator and was searching for fruit and vegetables for the guys. As she stuck her head further into the large cooler, she asked, "Can you start whipping up about two dozen egg whites Anne?"

Anne knew her way around the kitchen pretty well and was not afraid to her her hands dirty when it came to cooking. Even though she liked being in the kitchen making her own meals, her hectic schedule didn't allow for such luxuries. She ended up eating Take-Out most of the time and paying for it later when her stomach acted up in the middle of the night. "Alright Emily. Do you also want me to start chopping up a few onions if you are thinking of making healthy omelettes for the guys?"

Emily found some fresh spinach and red and green peppers towards the back of the refrigerator. She grabbed as much as her little hands to carry and pulled out of the refrigerator. She responded as she walked over to the counter, "If you would not mind." She put her bounty on the counter, found a real sharp knife, and started cutting up the veggies into small pieces. "Our men have been eating like crap for I don't know how long Anne. Especially my brother. Before he bought this place, he only weighed about 170 pounds. Now look at him, he looks like a big bowling ball!"

Anne started separating the eggs as she was asked to do. She then asked,"So how does Frankie and Jeff stay so fit, if they eat here constantly?"

"Frankie doesn't come here that often Anne, or at least he doesn't tell me he comes here," Emily responded. "Jeff on the other hand comes here more than he should. He doesn't cook for himself and since he only lives a few blocks away, he comes here and eats for almost nothing. How Jeff doesn't blow up like Paulie I don't know. I can only hope that now that he has a girlfriend, Jeff will learn his way around a kitchen." She was about finished with dicing up the veggies as she asked, "How are those eggs coming?"

Anne had just finished her job and was starting to slice up the onions. She responded as she sliced down the center of a large white onion, "Done."

"Good! Have you ever worked a Flat-Top before?" Emily asked.

Anne looked to her right and saw the large, square, steel plate with a stainless steel vent hood over it. She found a long stainless steel spatula laying to the right of the large griddle, picked t up in her right paw, and said, "I didn't always work in the News, I had to pay for college somehow so I worked as a short order cook as well as a waitress for years. Making omelets on this is going to be a piece of cake!"

Emily brought over a bowl of fresh vegetables she cut up into bite sized chunks, placed it next to the flat-top, and said, "Then get going Anne. Frankie gets quite grumpy as he gets hungrier."

Anne started pouring the egg whites onto the flat-top and watched as the translucent liquid started to solidify before her eyes. When she sensed the time was right, she flipped the entire thing over in one flip. She then added the veggies that Emily previously cut up to the eggs and waited for the entire thing to finish.

Emily grabbed a small stack of plates and brought them over to where Anne was working. She put them down on the counter and said, "That was some kiss you laid on Joe back there. The way you kissed him made me think that you two were already married instead of dating."

Anne started plating a portion of the eggs onto the plates as she said, "Yes it was Em. I have to admit, I fell for Joe faster than I ever thought possible. I hope he feels the same way about me too?"

"Trust me Anne, he feels the same way about you. Let's get this food out there and served before my daughter decides to set my brother up on an exercise regime that will kill him," Emily said.

Jeff woke up again with Violet in his arms. He looked down at her beautiful sleeping face and said, "I could get used to this very quickly."

As he ran his fingers through her hair, he asked, "What is it about you Violet that makes my heart beat faster, makes me feel like a teenager who managed to get a date with the hottest girl in school, and makes me not want to let you go?"

Violet was sleeping better than she has had in a very long time. She was dreaming about her future and coming home to find her kids playing in the living room while her adoring husband played right along with them. She put her briefcase down, went over to them, and got down on her knees before she asked, "Can I play too?"

Her question made the two kids turn their heads to her and scream in delight, "Mommy!" Before tackling her to the floor and hugging her.

Her husband smiled at the sight before him as he rose, went over to his kids, and removed them from their mother. "Come o you two, your mother just got home. Let's give her a little break." Her husband said as he carried their kids off to the kitchen.

Violet watched has her hunky husband effortlessly carried their children to the kitchen. She then turned to see her wedding photo and read the inscription in the frame, "Jeff and Violet forever, Frankie, Emily, Francine, Sapphire, & Crystal." She then went to join her family in the kitchen.

Violet stirred and started waking up from her dream. However, just before she completely woke up, she lifted her head, kissed Jeff on the lips, and said, "Good morning my husband."

This took Jeff by surprise. Not that he minded Violet kissing him. No, he did not mind that at all. What threw him for a loop was her calling him her husband. He nervously asked, "Violet, did you realize you called me your husband just now?"

Violet's eyes shot open and she looked him in the face before she answered, "I'm sorry Jeff, I didn't mean to call you my husband." She lowered her head back to his bare chest, then said, "I was having a dream where we were married. I came home from work and found you on the floor, playing with our two children. After you took them to the kitchen, I looked at our wedding photo. I know we just started dating Jeff, but the dream felt so real, and it felt good to be married to you."

Jeff brought his arm around her then said, "Violet, I have to admit, having you in my arms feel real good and I like that feeling, a lot. Do you believe in love at first sight Violet?"

"I haven't before Jeff, why?" Violet asked.

"Because, I think I am falling for you," Jeff answered before he looking into her eyes, lowered his head, and kissed her for the first time.

Violet closed her eyes and kissed him back as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Jeff quickly realized he was losing control and his body was becoming more aroused with each second that passed. He pulled back and said, "Violet, we need to stop. As much as I care for you, I'm not ready to cross that line and be intimate with you."

Violet understood what Jeff told her but she never had a man turn her down. Her mind was racing thinking things that made her nervous. One particular thought was, "Between the dream I had and Jeff telling me that he was falling in love with me, could this man really be the guy I was meant to be with?" She kissed him one more time before she said, "Jeff, my friends told me about you before Crystal and Sapphire brought you to the bar I work. As much as I trust them, I was apprehensive about meeting you. Sapphire swore to me that you were a great guy and had a heart as big as your chest. Now, that I have met you, I don't want you to leave me."

"I'm not going to leave you Violet," Jeff said. "How about after we get dressed and eat something, we both head over to my apartment, pack up a bag or two, and I move in here. Just as we talked about earlier Violet."

"Jeff, I don't want to pressure you into moving in here, if you don't want to," Violet said.

"Who said I didn't want to? Violet, I might be green when it comes to women and what they want. However, what I feel for you is special. I truly believe me moving in here with you is going to turn my life around for the better."

Anne and Emily served their food and sat down next to their respective men.

Just as soon as his food was placed in front of him, Frankie dove in and took a large bite of his omelet. "This is real good Em, what did you put in this?" Frankie asked.

"I only cut up some fresh vegetables Frankie, Anne was the one who did all of the cooking," Emily answered.

Joe finished the bite of food he had in his mouth, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then asked, "You made this Anne?"

"Yes, I had to put myself through college somehow and the local diner needed a short order cook. The schedule allowed me to attend school and work," Anne said.

"Well, if you keep making me meals like this, I'm going to get fat like Paulie," Joe said.

"Like I will allow that to happen," Frankie said. He put his fork down, then said, "Joe, you are part of my family and have been for years. Even though the situation that brought us together was not ideal, my daughters could have not gotten a better uncle. We all are not only going to keep you and Anne safe from the Family, but we are going to make sure that you are in great shape so when you finally decide to get serious with this lovely lady, you both will be able to live out a long and happy life together."

Rick out his fork down, then asked, "Joe, I loved Beverly like a sister and I hated you as well as the Family for getting her killed! I wanted to hurt you just as bad as they hurt Beverly! But I didn't and you know why? Because, you were hurting more then I could ever hurt you. Losing a wife and an un-born child had to cut you to the core." Rick started to cry, wiped his eyes, then said, "I miss my sister Joe, why did they have to kill her?"

Joe and Al went over to Rick and hugged him before Joe answered, "They wanted to get to me Rick, the Family wanted to make sure that I stayed with them for as long as I lived." Joe broke down and started to cry as well before he said, "I miss her too Rick, I miss her every day. The day Beverly told me she was pregnant, I was so happy that I was going to be a father and Beverly was going to be a mother. This was something we talked about for years and it was finally coming to fruition. We bought a house outside of the city with a large yard that our child could run around and play in. After a few months and Beverly had started to show, I made a decision to leave the Family in order for my child to be able to grow up without having to deal with the crap that came with my current job. My decision got my wife and child murdered and now I finally have a chance to start over. I will never stop loving Beverly Rick, but I have to move on with my life. I love Anne and she loves me. I want to have with her what I had with Beverly, that means the house, a pair of rings, and as many children she will bore me."

"Whoa! Back up a few and say that again Joe," Anne said. "As much as we love each other, we've only met not that long ago. I'm sure its too soon to be talking about that stuff."

"No its not Anne," Joe said after he turned his head to face her. "Beverly and I were married a month after we met and she got pregnant a few weeks later."

"That's way too quick for me Joe," Anne said. "I'm old fashioned and I want to have a long relationship before I get engaged."

"Anne, Frankie and I were engaged only after dating for six months and I became pregnant with Crystal on our honeymoon," Emily said.

"Wow you all move fast," Anne said. "But I want a long courtship before I even think of getting engaged to be married, even to you Joe."

Joe took her hands in his, looked into her eyes, then said, "I'll just have to be patient then and wait until you are ready Anne." He kissed her right hand then said, "And it will be worth every minute. You mentioned you wanted to see my house, shall we head there now? I need to get some more clothes as well as a few other things if I am going to be staying at your place for a while."

"I would love to see your house Joe, but as for you staying at my place, that may change after seeing your house," Anne said as she took her paw back.

Joe lifted an eyebrow, then asked, "How so?"

Anne put on one of her thousand watt smiles, then said, "I might have to kick you out so we can stay in your house."

"I think I can deal with that Anne," Joe said then he rose from his seat, extended his hand to her, and asked, "May I escort the most beautiful woman in my life to my residence?"

"Hey! You used to call me the most beautiful woman in your life uncle Joe!" Francine yelled.

Joe turned his head to his niece, then said, "Sorry Francine, but you have been demoted to second."

Francine huffed before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Almost everyone in the café started laughing at Francine's antics before Frankie said as he rose, "I had better go and calm her down for she might start re-arranging Paulie's kitchen, if you get what I mean."


End file.
